There wasn't always money, and when there was it wasn't much. But I learned to live comfortably with very little.
I could down a pint of Guiness in one gulp by the time I was eighteen. But you made it clear that drinking and holding liquor were two very different things.
I wrote the checks and you signed them. I wasn't great at math, but at least I could balance your checkbook. That was the most important math I needed.
You taught me how to field strip and clean a firearm. You took me to the range and put the genius work of John Moses Browning in my hands. That thing kicked like a mule, but I only ever got one slide bite. I could shoot straighter than you ever could. I still do.
You kept the knives sharp. Even the one in my pocket. And you told me where to stab if I really needed it.
Sticks and stones will break bones, but wounded pride stings forever. They can call me Paddy and Cat-lick all they want. They will never call me lesser.
Dead men learn nothing. A living fool remains a threat.
You can't keep someone from falling. You can be there to help them up out of the mud and kick the ass of whatever tripped them up.
That which doesn't kill you should wish to God it had.
Rub dirt in it and walk it off. If you can't walk, crawl.
Don't cry over stupid shit. Cry over the shit that really hurts. It's just like rubbing dirt in it and walking it off. Let it out, let it go. Don't let the wounds you can't rub dirt in weigh you down.
Don't drag anyone into the mud that doesn't deserve it.
Give what's in your pocket to the ratty old man with the cardboard sign. Nickels and dimes add up, and your compassion keeps men alive.
Buy suspended coffee. Invite someone who asks for one to sit with you. If you can, buy him a sandwich.
There is no reason an honest man doing honest work cannot educate himself or be as smart or well educated as a college professor.
We all have to climb the ladder. Don't focus so hard on the top that you forget to get off and rest every so often. Don't be afraid of looking down, either. Be proud of how far you've climbed.
Don't play cards with a man named Doc. Don't eat at a place called Mom's. Don't sleep with someone whose problems are bigger than your own.
Be courteous. Always look a man in the eye if you have to stab him. No one appreciates a backstabber.
Always ask for a lawyer. The Police are never your friends.
Bitchslap anyone who says "blood is thicker than water." Because they're wrong.
Nothing says "you are a waste of oxygen" quite like a tube sock full of pennies.
Read more Pratchett. Humor is good for you.
Even macabre humor. There will be times when you need it.
Dogs are kids. Cats are roommates. Both are good companions. Your landlord hates them both because he's a cheap ass. Keep fish instead. He'll pay for water damage but not a simple carpet shampooing.
Don't climb into bed with someone if you're not ready. And don't be surprised if all precautions fail. The system is designed to work.
Don't be ashamed of scars. They are things you've lived through.
If someone points out an injury, tell them it was a barfight, and they should see the other guy. Even if they don't believe you, they'll laugh.
You have to take care of you before you can think of taking care of anyone else.
Stand up for what's right. Even if it kills you. Go down fighting.
