Lines to Behold

Last week, I was sitting on the backyard swing with James Wilkerson Yoder, aka, 'Yodie,'the toy poodle. I began thinking of the many one line quotes, which caught my attention over the years. Of  course, my father was my one-line champ due to the time of profound interactions, my teenage years.

Dad would say, just before I left the house on a weekend night, "Hey boy, be home before midnight and don't let your mouth overload your ass on the streets." Here was a frequent line, "Your's is not to reason/why your's is but to do or die." And this, "If a job' s worth doing it's worth doing well." I never did care for this one, "Because I said so!" I concluded early in my life that my Dad was not interested in a lot of conversational exchange with his sons.

Maternal grandmother, Mammy Bennett most definitely created mental anguish with her classic one-line warning for a teen grandson headed out for an evening of carefree fun: "Now honey, you enjoy your friends tonight but be mindful that our Lord Jesus Christ is returning a second time. Don't be about anything that would compromise your Heavenly reward."

Mr. Spickard, my first little league baseball coach told me, "Moe, baseball is like life. There are no short cuts, you must touch all the bases." Miss O'Rielly, junior high English teacher, "Woe betide the individual who breaks the rules." Illinois State basketball Coach Jim Collie often told me, "Good food is in the recipes' details, so are good teams."

My mother-in law, Vi Bischof often said, "I haydasay say..." It didn't take me long to get it...you should pay close attention to the next sentence, which she could not wait to say! Then there was this line repeated by thousands of my high school physical education students that entered the gym daily, "Are we dressing-out today?"

Basketball coaching legends, Al McGuire and John Wooden left sayings indelible on my mind. Wooden told me, "Your teams must be quick but should not hurry." McGuire used the line, "Piss Poor Planning Produces Pitful Performances."

The all-time King of one line quotes was Will Rogers. His greatest...
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they go."