Inspirational Mantras

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody.
A job begun is a job half done.
Accept the things you can't change (such as harsh social realities).
Address the problem in small, manageable, prioritised chunks.
All unrealistic expectations abandon.
Always have a Plan B, C, D etc.
Appearances are often deceiving.
Are you intense? If so, lighten up.
Ask men for help.
Avoid “it certainly looked like progress”.
Avoid exchanging one prison for another.
Avoid having a vision but no strategy.
Be Prepared.
Be relaxed, breathe slowly and steadily, make steady but intermittent eye contact. (You’ll come across like an old hippy.)
Become a habitué of eg the cafe in the park.
Better late than never.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Bullies need a victim.
Call people by name. Say “Hi Bob”.
Call things by their right name.
Choose the lesser of two evils.
Civility costs nothing.
Cut the Tarot pack.
Cut your coat according to your cloth.
Cut your losses.
Do it now.
Do it your way.
Do nothing to excess.
Do something different.
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Doing nothing is always a choice.
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Don’t burn your bridges.
Don’t get in touch with your emotions, detach yourself from them.
Don't appear too independent or too helpless.
Don't look too eager or too indifferent.
Don't smile - sometimes.
Don't/do look back.
Effort may be wasted.
Effort may not be rewarded.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
Face facts.
Fact is stranger than fiction.
Fake it.
False Hope Springs Eternal.
Feel the fear and do it anyway.
Find your own level. If you’re not a top dog, be a middling dog.
Fish while the fish are biting.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.
Get a change of air.
Get over it.
Get things in proportion.
Give yourself a mantra a day: eg “Smile at strangers” “Practice your smile”.
Give yourself a talking to.
Giving too much too soon is codependent. Also pushy.
Go through the motions.
Go to art galleries when they're open late.
Go to private views.
Go where there are people.
Go with what you know.
Good fences make good neighbors.
Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes of bad judgment.
Have a secret life (or several).
Have a word and a smile for everyone.
Hopes may be dupes.
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
If doors don’t open, don’t beat on them.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
If people stop talking to you, they’re trying to tell you something.
If you aren’t any good at gym, you'll never get picked for the gym team.
If you can’t beat them, join them (and vice versa).
If you can’t do anything about it, accept it.
If you can't believe it's happening, pretend it's a movie. (Andy Warhol)
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
In this world a dog may become a lion and a lion a dog.
It could be worse - it could be raining.
It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
It takes all sorts to make a world.
It's nice to be needed, but making other people need you is codependent.
Know your limitations.
Lie about the past. Or keep quiet about it. Lie about the present.
List all the options.
Listen.
Look on the bright side. (The burglars took everything - but they left the bath! And now we can buy new furniture! etc etc)
Make up your own rituals.
Man pursues woman. Ie don’t be pushy or clingy.
Muddle through.
Necessity acquaints us with strange bedfellows.
Negotiate.
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
Nobody is perfect.
Observe people instead of worrying about your performance.
Other people are as afraid of you as you are of them - so intimidate them (not).
People don’t want to be made to think.
People expose their character in small actions (lifewisdom.com)
Play dumb.
Play to your strengths.
Pray for strength.
Pretend you are a fictional character.
Quit while you’re ahead.
React, don’t act. And watch for people’s reactions.
Review the situation. Risk being disappointed.
Self-disclose, but not too much. And it doesn’t have to be true.
Share your hopes, dreams and goals.
Show your vulnerability - some people want to be rescuers.
Sit outside.
Smell of cinnamon and vanilla.
Some dreams come true and some fall through.
Some people are looking for a punchbag.
Some things never change.
Something is better than nothing.
Speak softly.
Start again somewhere else.
Strike a balance.
Take a different route.
Tell people about your life, even if it's mundane.
The times change, and we change with them.
The geek shall inherit the earth.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease (and vice versa).
There are tricks in every trade.
There is safety in numbers.
There’s nowt so queer as folk.
Things can get worse.
Think before you act or speak.
Think of solution(s).
This too shall pass.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
Try on different identities.
Try something that you tried before - it might work this time./Junk that and try something different.
Walk round the block - you may bump into someone you know.
Want to establish rapport? Mention a current event.
Watch out for fair weather friends.
Watch the world go by.
Wear new clothes.
Wear pink.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
When you're in a hole, stop digging.
You can’t please everyone.
You have only one chance to make a first impression.
You’re known by the company you keep.