Pearls of Wisdom from a Mother to her Daughter

Mothers are #OurDaughters first inspiration and mentors. #DaughtersOfIndia are sharing the mom-isms, the wise words, and the oft-repeated sayings our moms used to impart wisdom when we were kids.

Thanks for shaping our minds, setting us straight, and helping us navigate the world, Mom.

Pearl 1: “The world rewards the bold.”

Pearl 2: “You can’t hate people, you can only greatly dislike them.”

Pearl 3: “It’s just money.”

Pearl 4: “Never trust a man who doesn’t wear a watch, because he has nowhere he has to be.”

Pearl 5: “The only person who can make you feel guilty is you.”

Pearl 6: “Treat ‘em mean and keep ‘em keen.”

Pearl 7: “Treat others the way you want to be treated — especially your sisters!”

Pearl 8: “There’s nothing wrong with being different.”

Pearl 9: “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything.”

Pearl 10: “Travel the world, live in other countries, and explore before you settle down.”

Pearl 11: “Stop taunting the bullies.”

Pearl 12: “Get a good education and keep your skills up to date. Never rely on anyone else to support you.”

Pearl 13: “The world is your oyster.”

Pearl 14: “You are young; you have all the time in the world, just do it.”

Pearl 15: “Get off the white carpet!”

Pearl 16: “Don’t waste your time worrying. I’ve wasted too much of mine worrying.”

Pearl 17: “Of course you can. After all, if your mother could learn to fly a plane, you can learn to…”

Pearl 18: “Don’t take any wooden nickels.”

Pearl 19: “Never forget where you came from.”

Pearl 20: “It is a simple task to make things complex but a complex task to make them simple.”

Pearl 21: “Eat the crusts first.”

Pearl 22: “All you have is your word. Always keep it.”

Pearl 23: “Just focus on yourself, don’t worry about everyone else.”

Pearl 24: “You can always tell about someone by their shoes.” But then, also, “Anyone who treats you badly because of what you wear or look like isn’t worth worrying about.”

Pearl 25: “Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t.”

Pearl 26: “Everything has a way of working out.”

Pearl 27: “I wish I had a magic wand to wave and make everything better.”

Pearl 28: “Nothing good ever happens after midnight.”

Pearl 29: “If you have it flaunt it, if you don’t have it, flaunt it anyway.”

Pearl 30: “This too shall pass.”

Pearl 31: “Befriend the unusual people. They will make your life interesting.”

Pearl 32: “For asking you don’t get a potch in the punim.” (It’s Yiddish for slap in the face). In other words, don’t be afraid to ask or question. It’s how we learn!

Pearl 33: “Get your education so you can be independent. You should be strong enough to take care of yourself and not rely on someone else.”

Pearl 34: “Learn Spanish!”

Pearl 35: “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

Pearl 36: “Start as you mean to go on.”

Pearl 37: “That’s a funny once.” (For silly jokes or annoying gags.)

Pearl 38: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.”

Pearl 39: “I didn’t know you were pretty smart.”

Pearl 40: “Cuando una puerta se cierra, se abren cien.” (Translates from Spanish to: when one door closes, one hundred open.)

Pearl 41: “Kill them with kindness!”

Pearl 42: “The truth will set you free.”

Any of these sound familiar? What did your mom say that you’ll never forget?