This obscure phrase plays itself out in The Trial of Impeachment of Levi Hubbell, Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit. The trial was held in the Wisconsin Senate in June of 1853. The proceedings allow you to read the debate about the meaning of it being time to fish or cut bait which was, at that time, an unfamiliar phrase. In that context, the somewhat archaic term…

Although attributed to Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam, by Francis Bacon in a brief essay entitled On Boldness in 1625; the actual phrase can’t be traced directly to Mohammed. Bacon suggests that Mohammed said these words after being unsuccessful in performing the miracle of beckoning a hill to come to him, showed wisdom with these words rather than admitting…

My father used to use a slightly enlarged version of this phrase. It is commonly attributed to General Patton and when done so. it often begins, “We herd sheep, we drive cattle, [and] we lead people.” Patton’s words also come with more personal wording, “Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.” While I have no particular reason to doubt its authenticity, I do wonder…

This is another slogan that has some traction in the Twelve Step community. On the surface, it appears to encourage people to be open to changing their minds. As information and circumstances change, so ought decisions. Put in a positive light, this quote says, “keep an open mind.” It also echoes the wisdom of living “one day at a time.” It is a reminder that any…

President Harry Truman, who attributed it to his friend General Harry Vaughn, popularized this phrase. It is not limited to cooking, but rather a metaphor for any situation that creates challenge or “heat.” If you are not ready to take on a challenge, there is no sense pretending. Truman intended these words for his staff: if they were not up to the task, they had…

There is no real advice in this phrase. However, the fact that it is used to describe a situation that is very difficult with no apparent solution, implies that it is a reality that all situations have to be reckoned with and therefore, when you are “between a rock and a hard place”, it is better to be honest than in denial of your circumstances. The most literal use of…

One of Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is “being proactive.” Another way to put this is to choose rather than accept. So often we say, “I have no choice”, when we actually do have options. We may not like the choices and their foreseen results but there are choices. You have a boss you can't stand? You can choose to quit your job! You…

Cicero, Aristotle, Plutarch and Chaucer and others all said words to this effect. A humorous gloss comes from the movie Klondike Annie where Mae West says when given the choice of two evils, “I'll choose the one I never tried before.”

1 Thessalonians 5:22

Avoid every kind of evil.

abstain from every form of…