'Don't Forget to Sing in the Lifeboats': Uncommon Wisdom for Uncommon Times

Uncommon times call for uncommon wisdom. It's inspiring to hear from people who've graduated from the school of hard knocks, yet kept a sense of humor. People like Twain, Voltaire, Oscar Wilde. People who've said the thing so well that we all wish we'd said it. People who've been there, done that, and refuse to sugarcoat what they've learned. People who know, as Sherry Hochman puts it, that "Every day is a giftÑeven if it sucks."

From Kathryn and Ross petras, curators of craziness (and surprising smarts), comes a timely collection of reassuring reality:

"Why is there so much month left at the end of the money?"ÑJohn Barrymore

"October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks in. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February." ÑMark Twain

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much."ÑMother Teresa

"When one burns one's bridges, what a very nice fire it makes."ÑDylan Thomas

"If you think you have it tough, read history books."ÑBill Maher

And Voltaire: "Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats."