TRUTHS TO LIVE BY

A COLLECTION OF THE GREATEST TRUTHS

I HAVE DISCOVERED SO FAR

BY ROBERT McCAULEY

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What truths do you live by?

What truths do you seek?

What truths will you share?

WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT

I believe in the principle of trading up; truth for error. When I discover truths that inspire me to live better I save them, ponder them, try and apply them, and share them. This is my collection of general truths for your consideration. I hope they can make you think, laugh or inspire you.

IN GOD WE TRUST ALL OTHERS MUST BRING DATA

This is my favorite Edward Deming quote. We should hold all mortals to the same standard, they all need data and evidence to convince us of their ideas and beliefs; regardless of their position or the honors they hold. We should make data driven decisions in life and this will put truth in the driver’s seat.


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NO ONE CARES HOW MUCH YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE

This was some advice my father gave me a few months before I left to Colorado to serve a 2 year full time mission. It helps me to remember my actions will always speak louder than my words and that communication will almost always improve when we sincerely care for those we communicate with.


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WE CAN IGNORE REALITY

Ayn Rand was a great thinker and writer. I don’t agree with all her ideas but this one is so true. For example we can ignore the reality of gravity, we could even pass laws forbidding it but we can’t ignore the consequences of ignoring gravity, or at least not over a certain height. The best we can do is accept it and work within its constraints. This also reminds me of the statement that “we don’t see the world as it is, but as we are.” If we can we remember we are limited in our understanding and that we must look to the results of our choices we then stand a chance of not “ignoring reality”.

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IT'S NOT THE CRITIC WHO COUNTS

These words have inspired me since the first time I read them in high school. Teddy Roosevelt’s bold invitation to try our best even knowing we will fall short some days and to ignore the critics. It is a true statement that half of life is just showing up, so let’s show up, and dare to do great things.

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OUTWITTED

My grandmother had a copy of this poem taped to her bedroom door. I learned later from my mother and aunt that she put this up when her and my grandfather were struggling to help one of my uncles who had serious drug addictions. They never gave up on him. In a world of cancel culture, we could cancel back or we can have the courage to draw a circle around those that reject us and build a world that needs everyone.

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YOU CAN'T DO A KINDNESS TOO SOON

Kindness like money is worth more right now than it is in the future. I have lost my father, two grandmothers, and two uncles so far in my life. I wish I had given all of them more kindness while we were together. We can’t change the past but we have today. Who will be the recipient of our kindness today?

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THE HARDEST THING TO EXPLAIN

We have all searched for something we have lost just to find we hid it from ourselves in plain sight. I think this statement from Ayn Rand is the mental or emotional equivalent of “hiding in plain sight.” We can’t control others but we can at least try and not ignore truths that are staring us in the face.



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THE NOBLEST ART IS THAT OF MAKING OTHERS HAPPY

The truth of this statement depends on our definition of happiness. I think it is true and here is my definition of happiness. I don’t consider human happiness to be a synonym of fun but of joy. Fun is fleeting pleasure that might even leave us with regrets later, but joy and happiness are lasting because as we remember these moments in our lives they bring back those warm feelings every time. With this in mind, I think we are very noble indeed when we seek the happiness of others.

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AND MOST FOOLS DO

It is always easier to tear something apart than to try and create it. Benjamin Franklin captures this truth perfectly and it can give us courage to face the critics of the world. His word can also remind us not to be fools by complaining about and condemning others.





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WHEN MEN ARE AFRAID OF THE LIGHT

The apostle John warned the human family, “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest.” (John 3:19-21) I believe as a general rule if we have to hide portions of our life in darkness either we fear for the safety of ourselves or others, like hiding Jews from the Nazis, or more commonly we are doing something we know is wrong and don’t want to get caught. I think Plato’s words are still true today and we should not fear the light on our lives, but live a life of honor, that though not perfect, can be examined by ourselves and others with more joy than sorrow.

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NO LIMIT TO THE AMOUNT OF GOOD YOU CAN DO

Competition infuses our lives to such a degree that we often take it for granted. It is assumed to be the driving force in capitalism, sports, and politics. In zero sum games like political elections or sporting events competition is the major force but in other aspects of our lives it is accepted as a major force but does it have to be? Cooperation is also a major force in our lives and in many cases it could replace for good the current applications of competition. In my estimate cooperation is a greater good in the world than competition by far and could be even greater if we will use it more often. This is the spirit of this truth from Ronald Reagan. If we lose the desire to always win great things and instead focus on just doing great things, especially with cooperation, we will see more great things happen.

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NOTHING CAN TAKE THE PLACE OF PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance is the ability to stay in the fight. It is not required for easy or free things. It can only be observed when things go wrong or when strong opposition rises to meet us. President Coolidge’s statement is uplifting and true. Perseverance is a key to success when we learn, develop our bodies, improve our important relationships, or build anything of value. This does not mean we should not turn around at dead ends, but it does mean we should not stop at dead ends when pursuing worth causes even if we must retrace our steps to find out where we went wrong.



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FOOLS ARE SO INGENIOUS

This one always makes me laugh. I have made many foolproof plans in my life just to have them brush aside like nothing by people or things I misunderstood. Another related truth I like says, make it easy for people to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing. This advice works well if we actually understand what are the easy and what hard things for people to do. The best we can hope to do is to seek a deep understanding of the things we plan and to keep some humility by remembering that it is especially hard to make fool proof plans when the planner is being foolish.

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Truths To Live By
Created by Robert McCauley

Who am I? Like the rest of you I am lots of things. A husband, father, son, grandson, follower of Jesus Christ, chemical engineer, a sinner, a saint, and a very curious seeker of truth. My sincere desire in this life is to do good in the world and if possible leave it better than how I found it. I believe in people and the great things we do together and could do together if we find the ways to unite in meaningful causes. I built this site and my designs to share ideas that I believe hold valuable truths. I will be wrong on some of them but I am not afraid to be wrong, I believe and try to practice the principle of trading up, truth for error, understanding for misunderstanding, and light for darkness. On the Truths To Live By site I will write essays on each truth I have posted. I hope you might find something of value for your life here and if you have truth to share with me or you can see errors in what I have shared please reach out to me. Thank you for spending some of your time here. – Robert McCauley

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