Live and Learn and Pass It on

"On the morning of my fifty-first birthday," writes author H. Jackson Brown, "I thought it would be interesting and maybe even enlightening to jot down a few things more than half a century of living had taught me." Soon he had accumulated quite a list. When a friend said he would contribute a few ideas of his own, Jackson decided to invite other friends and acquaintances -- from kindergarten kids and teenagers to senior citizens -- to join the effort.

Live And Learn And Pass It On contains the best of their answers, the combined wisdom of thousands of years of living. Here is what we have been taught by our parents, spouses, children, pastors, teachers, friends and enemies. They are lessons learned from loving and winning and loving and losing, the school of hard knocks, and the old method of trial and error. "Editing their entries convinced me that wisdom knows no age." Jackson says. "Regardless of how much we know, it is never enough. School is always in session, and life challenges us to excel at being both insatiable student and inspired teacher."

I've learned that a strong code of ethics is as reliable as a compass. -- Age 43I've learned that you can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. -- Age 7I've learned that if I eat donuts today I wear them tomorrow. -- Age 39I've learned that goldfish don't like Jello. -- Age 5I've learned that I don't feel my age as long as I focus on my dreams instead of my regrets. -- Age 83I've learned that deciding who you will marry is the most important decision you'll ever make. -- Age 95I've learned that it's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble. -- Age 14I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decisions. -- Age 66I've learned that it always makes me feel good to see my parents holding hands. -- Age 13I've learned that life is like a blind date. Sometimes you just have to have a little faith! -- Age 23