Words to the Wise

The three best bits of advice I've heard (so far):

1)  From my younger daughter, then in the second grade:
I had volunteered in her classroom, and I was my regular, slightly impatient self.  Afterwards, she said to me, "Mommy, you have to try to be nice to everybody or else they won't be excited to see you."  The next time I went in, I made a point of saying something nice (and sincere) to every kid and calling each by name.  Sure enough, in a matter of weeks, they loved me. 

2)  From a long-haul trucker I heard on the radio:
After Hurricane Katrina, I was listening to NPR's coverage of the clean-up efforts.  A bunch of truckers had volunteered to shovel out the debris.  The reporter was discussing this with one of the truck drivers, a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy, and she asked him how one actually goes about cleaning up a mess of such huge proportions.  He paused a moment, then answered, "You start at the front, and you work toward the back."  Yes, you do.

3)  From my mother:
"Never underestimate the male ego."