H. Brown - A Fathers Book of Wisdom

A FATHERS BOOK
OF WISDOM Compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. RUTLEDGE HILL PRESS
Nashville, Tennessee Copyright 1988 by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Rutledge Hill Press, Inc., 211 Seventh Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee 37219. Distributed in Canada by H. B. Fenn & Company, Ltd., 34 Nixon Road, Bolton, Ontario, L7E 1W2. Distributed in Australia by The Five Mile Press Pty., Ltd., 22 Summit Road, Noble Park, Victoria 3174. Distributed in New Zealand by Tandem Press, 2 Rugby Road, Birkenhead, Auckland 10.

Distributed in the United Kingdom by Verulam Publishing, Ltd., 152a Park Street Lane, Park Street, St. Albans, Hertfordshire AL2 2AU. Design by Bruce Gore/Gore Studio, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A Fathers book of wisdom/compiled by Jack Brown p. cm.
ISBN 1-55853-754-6
I. Quotations, English I.

Brown, Jack, 1940
PN6081.F33 1989
082dc19 89-3517 CIP Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 03 02 01 00 99 A PARABLE A few weeks after Dad passed away, we found eight shoeboxes in his closet. They were filled with scraps of paper, old envelopes, napkins, matchbook covers, little blue spiral notebookseven cash register receiptsall covered with ideas Dad thought were profound, interesting, or merely amusing. Obviously, Dad had grabbed whatever paper was available whenever he had felt inspired.
Some of the notes were quotations from books and articles he had read, but many were original insights and observations.
Dad had always been a serious reader and unapologetic commentator on the passing scene and we were thrilled to discover this rich legacy of his humor and keen insight.
This little book is a collection of some of our favorite entries from Dads shoebox collection. It represents one fathers view of life and what he thought about the importance of self-reliance, commitment, love, generosity, and success.
We hope youll enjoy reading it. Dad never told us how to be successful and happy, but he did give us something much more valuablethe opportunity to watch him do it every day. CONTENTS OTHER BOOKS BY H.

JACKSON BROWN, JR.Lifes Little Instruction Book
Lifes Little Instruction Book, Volume II
Lifes Little Instruction Book, Volume III
Live and Learn and Pass It On
Live and Learn and Pass It On, Volume II
Live and Learn and Pass It On, Volume III
P.S. I Love You
Lifes Little Treasure Book on Joy
Lifes Little Treasure Book on Marriage and Family
Lifes Little Treasure Book on Wisdom
Lifes Little Treasure Book on Success
Lifes Little Treasure Book on Parenting
Lifes Little Treasure Book on Love
Lifes Little Treasure Book on Hope
Lifes Little Treasure Book on FriendshipLifes Little Treasure Book on Mothers
Lifes Little Treasure Book on Fathers
Lifes Little Treasure Book on Simple Pleasures
Lifes Little Treasure Book on Things That Really Matter
Lifes Little Treasure Book of Christmas Traditions
Lifes Little Treasure Book of Christmas Memories
Kids Little Treasure Book on Happy Families
Kids Little Treasure Book on What
Weve Learned...So Far
When You Lick a Slug, Your Tongue Goes Numb
The Little Book of Christmas Joys
(with Rosemary Brown and Kathy Peel)
A Hero in Every Heart (with Robyn Spizman)
The Complete Lifes Little Instruction Book
The Complete Live and Learn and Pass It On D ont let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. John Wooden P ride makes us do things well. But it is love that makes us do them to perfection. Dad W inning is not a sometime thing; its an all-time thing. You dont win once in a while, you dont do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time.

Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. Vince Lombardi T he harder you work, the luckier you get. Gary Player B ehold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out. James B.

Conant T he secret is to become wise before you get old. Dad F irst you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down. Leo Rosenburg W hen you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die the world cries and you rejoice. Old Indian Saying W hen an old person dies, a library is lost. William Shakespeare T o travel hopefully is better than to arrive. Sir James Jeans T wo stonecutters were asked what they were doing. Sir James Jeans T wo stonecutters were asked what they were doing.

The first said, Im cutting this stone into blocks. The second replied, Im on a team thats building a cathedral. Old Story R egardless of what company you work for, never forget the most important product youre selling is yourself. Dad W hen you dance with your customer, let him lead. Dad C hallenges can be stepping stones or stumbling blocks. Unknown I am only one; but still I am one. Unknown I am only one; but still I am one.

I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do. Helen Keller I n matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. Thomas Jefferson W hen the One Great Scorer comes
to write against your name,
He marks, not that you won or lost,
but how you played the game. Grantland Rice I f you dont stand for something, youll fall for anything. Unknown H old yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you. Henry Ward Beecher I f you were to sell your character, would you get full retail, or would it go for a bargain-basement price? Dad Y ou never know a mans character until youve shared a bowl of peeled shrimp with him. Dad C ourage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. Mark Twain D ont be afraid to take big steps. Mark Twain D ont be afraid to take big steps.

You cant cross a chasm in two small jumps. David Lloyd George W hat matters is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. Coach Bear Bryant O ne man with courage is a majority. Andrew Jackson I f you judge people, you have no time to love them. Mother Teresa W hen you judge others, you are revealing your own fears and prejudices. Benjamin Franklin L et the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others. Dad P raise in public. Dad P raise in public.

Criticize in private. Dad W ere constantly striving for success, fame, and comfort when all we really need to be happy is someone or something to be enthusiastic about. Dad A group of two hundred executives were asked what makes a person successful. Eighty percent listed enthusiasm as the most important quality. Source Unknown E xcellence is never an accident. Dad T he quality of a persons life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. Vince Lombardi I ts a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it. Somerset Maugham W ell done is better than well said. Benjamin Franklin I ts not how far you fall, but how high you bounce.