H. Jackson Brown - Complete Live and Learn and Pass It On: People Ages 5 to 95 Share What Theyve Discovered about Life, Love, and Other Good Stuff

The Complete
LIVE AND LEARN
and
Pass It On

The Complete
LIVE AND LEARN
and
Pass It On

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Copyright 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2007 by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Art Direction and Design by Mary Hooper.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The complete live and learn and pass it on / written and compiled by
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-4016-0331-9
1. Life cycle, HumanMiscellanea. 2. Developmental psychologyMiscellanea.
3. Maturation (Psychology)Miscellanea. I. Brown, H. Jackson, 1940- .
HQ799.95.L55 1991 91-32132
158.1dc20 CIP

Printed in Canada

07 08 09 10 TPC 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

On the morning of my fifty-first birthday I gave myself the assignment of jotting down a few of the important things that more than half a century of living had taught me.

I found this exercise so instructive and enjoyable that I made it a regular Sunday morning project. Later, I read the list to a friend over lunch and he said it was an idea hed like to try. Other friends and acquaintances soon joined in. That led to interviews with kindergarten kids, high school students, young married couples, and senior citizens. Editing these entries convinced me that wisdom knows no age and that truth is truth no matter where you find it.

The contributors to The Complete Live and Learn and Pass It On represent all ages and every economic and social background. They would not consider themselves philosophers or gurus, yet here, in just a sentence or two, they offer us worlds of wisdom.

As you read these observations, you will get a glimpse now and then of lonely hearts and lost hopes. But what ultimately comes through is a sense of cheerfulness, resolve, and the importance of keeping things in perspective. A forty-two-year-old father writes, Ive learned that a shoeshine box made by my eight-year-old son at Vacation Bible School is my most prized possession. Thats as powerful a statement about priorities and what makes life worth living as you will ever read.

The seventeeth-century English clergyman Thomas Fuller wrote, If you have knowledge, let others light their candle at it. Thanks to these people who have shared their lifes lessons with me, my candle now burns with a lively flame. I invite you to light your candle from mine. By holding them together, well illuminate our own path as well as signal a direction for those who follow.

H. J. B.
Tall Pine Lodge
Fernvale, Tennessee

Other Books by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Lifes Little Instruction Book
(volumes I, II, and III)

Live and Learn and Pass It On
(volumes I, II, and III)

Complete Lifes Little Instruction Book

Highlighted in Yellow
(with Rochelle Pennington)

For Rosemary and Adam,
with love.

Ive learned that life is like a scooter car; not much happens unless you do some pedaling. AGE 79

Ive learned that when you remodel, everything costs twice as much and takes twice as long as you think it will. AGE 48

Ive learned that my daddy can say a lot of words I cant. AGE 8

Ive learned that it doesnt cost anything to be nice. AGE 66

Ive learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it. AGE 39

Ive learned that most of the things I worry about never happen. AGE 64

Ive learned that a patrol car behind me always makes me nervous. AGE 25

Ive learned that homemade Toll House cookies should be eaten while still warm. AGE 29

Ive learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, youd better know something. AGE 46

Ive learned that no one has a clue about what the stock market is going to do. AGE 51

Ive learned that if you spread the peas out on your plate, it looks like you ate more. AGE 6

Ive learned that couples without children always know just how you should raise yours. AGE 29

Ive learned that every great achievement was once considered impossible. AGE 47

Ive learned that the great challenge of life is to decide whats important and to disregard everything else. AGE 51

Ive learned that getting fired can be the best thing that can happen to you. AGE 42

Ive learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up. AGE 13

Ive learned that almost no quality product sells for a cheap price. AGE 52

Ive learned that you shouldnt compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do. AGE 68

Ive learned that the more creative you are, the more things you notice. AGE 51

Ive learned that my gas tank is always on empty when Im late for an important meeting. AGE 32

Ive learned that life challenges us with the fact that everything can be done better. AGE 57

Ive learned that it doesnt do any good to buy expensive tools if I can never find them. AGE 41

Ive learned that if you like garlic salt and Tabasco sauce you can make almost anything taste good. AGE 52

Ive learned that after age 50 you get the furniture disease. Thats when your chest falls into your drawers. AGE 53

Ive learned that its hard to argue with someone when theyre right. AGE 38

Ive learned that you shouldnt call a $100 meeting to solve a $10 problem. AGE 55

Ive learned that car salesmen size up prospects by looking at the quality of their shoes and watches. AGE 52

Ive learned that you never outgrow the enjoyment of browsing in toy departments. AGE 61

Ive learned that at least once in his life, a man makes a fool of himself over a woman. AGE 46

Ive learned that trust is the single most important factor in both personal and professional relationships. AGE 20

Ive learned that marrying for money is the hardest way to get it. AGE 42

Ive learned that if you take good care of your employees, they will take good care of your customers. AGE 49

Ive learned that you cant hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. AGE 7

Ive learned that nothing of value comes without effort. AGE 64

Ive learned that even the simplest task can be meaningful if I do it in the right spirit. AGE 72

Ive learned that the best thing about growing older is that now I dont feel the need to impress anyone. AGE 79

Ive learned that the size of your biceps has very little to do with your popularity and success after high school. AGE 50

Ive learned that when my brother leaves for college, I get everything. AGE 14

Ive learned that enthusiasm is caught, not taught. AGE 51

Ive learned that if you want to get even with someone at camp, rub their underwear in poison ivy. AGE 11

Ive learned that even a doctor with the best training and intentions can be wrong about a diagnosis. AGE 58

Ive learned that a person is only as good as his or her word. AGE 90

Ive learned that you can be in love with four girls at the same time. AGE 9

Ive learned that lying in the cool green grass and looking at the sky makes you feel so good. AGE 14

Ive learned that its better to be married to someone with a good nature than a good physique. AGE 39

Ive learned that when you can be either brilliant or pleasant, choose pleasant. AGE 53