Don’t you ever grow tired of these quotes that were repeated over and over again to you as a child? Today, they don’t matter. At least not as much as before.

8. Be yourself.

In the professional world, “being yourself” usually ends up with you getting talked about behind your back. So, no. It’s not about being “plastik” but more about having a reputation to protect. These days, everything can get taken out of context. You can be yourself at home and with your close friends but first impressions can really last.

7. Love conquers all.

No it doesn’t. Love can’t pay the bills. You’re probably saying this because 1) you’re still not fully supporting yourself, or 2) you find the life of a starving artist very romantic.

6. Everything happens for a reason.

So even the Catholic preacher Bo Sanchez says that there is a festering epidemic of over-spiritualism where we tend to give the God we believe in the responsibility he gave us. Philosophically speaking, man can and will justify anything and everything.

Things happen because they happen: we are fully responsible for your actions. If you’re going to find a husband/wife, go out and make yourself presentable and date. Don’t stay at home praying for The One. Because if he comes knocking at your door, that would be trespassing, illegal and a little freaky.

5. Nice guys finish last.

Maybe when you were in your early 20s this was the case, but as you grow older, you’ll realize people do get over their quarter life crisis and stick to people they can depend on.

4. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

There’s nothing wrong with your computer. Why overclock it? There’s nothing wrong with the website. Why redesign it? “If it ain’t broke…” is the enemy of disruptive thinking.

3. The apple does not fall far from the tree.

Wow, how judgmental can you get? Case in point: Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

2. Winners never quit and quitters never win.

We’ve been indoctrinated since we were kids to finish what we start. Growing up is a different story. Our time is very limited so we might as well be doing something we love. Remember, it isn’t just about doing something we are good at. It’s also about doing something we love. There’s a whole Freakonomics episode on the behavior of quitting and all it means is that there’s an opportunity cost to everything: we could have been doing something else with our time. There’s no shame in quitting: what do Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg all have in common? They quit college to do something more productive.

1. Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.

This is why people hold grudges. This is why the comments section of many websites get trolled. “Suntukan na lang!” Don’t you just wish it was that easy?

Jayvee Fernandez

Writer slash underwater photographer slash blogger slash coffee person slash gamer slash founding editor of 8List.ph.

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