Good advice has a way of sticking with us. Sometimes it’s a quick line we heard as kids, other times it’s a lesson passed down through experience. Whether it comes from parents, mentors, friends, or even strangers, the right words at the right time can shape how we see the world—and often stay with us for life.
So, I asked the Bored Panda community to share the best piece of advice they’ve ever received and who it came from. Some are practical, some are heartfelt, and others are so simple they feel almost genius. My grandfather told me, when I was a late teenager, never to buy the cheapest or the most expensive item. Always go for the middle option—you’ll find better quality and spend much less using this method. You get what you pay for.
#1
Never argue with an idiot—they will only drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
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72points
#2
I don’t know about the best advice in general, but the best work-related advice I ever received came from my supervisor. It was over 40 years ago, so I don’t remember it word for word, but this is pretty close: ‘Don’t ever present your boss with a problem without also putting forth at least one possible solution.’
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59points
#3
“If you want to know what people are really like, listen to how they act, not what they say.” —My grandad
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53points
#4
“Don’t weep for the stupid—you’ll be crying all day.” —Alexander Anderson, Hellsing Abridged
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52points
#7
“The keys to happiness are low expectations and a short-term memory.”
—My dear friend Garret (still miss you, G.)
Said in jest, yet totally accurate.
—My dear friend Garret (still miss you, G.)
Said in jest, yet totally accurate.
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40points
#8
Some years ago, I spoke with a homeless gentleman who came to the food bank where I was volunteering. He said two things that have stuck with me to this day.
The first was: “The average person is just one or two paychecks away from being homeless.”
The second was: “It is the curse of man that, given enough time, the oppressed will, in turn, become the oppressors.”
The first was: “The average person is just one or two paychecks away from being homeless.”
The second was: “It is the curse of man that, given enough time, the oppressed will, in turn, become the oppressors.”
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39points
#10
Never write an email, message, or anything—whether professional or personal—while in a furious or angry mindset and send it immediately.
Sleep on it. The next morning, you’ll almost certainly rewrite the text, responding with more clarity and removing the parts that aren’t truly relevant to the message you want to convey.
Sleep on it. The next morning, you’ll almost certainly rewrite the text, responding with more clarity and removing the parts that aren’t truly relevant to the message you want to convey.
38points
#11
Some of the best advice I’ve ever received came from right here on Bored Panda:
“A year from now, you’ll wish you had started a year ago.”
“A year from now, you’ll wish you had started a year ago.”
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36points
#12
You can’t control how people act; you can only control how you react to them.
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33points
#13
“You are responsible for your happiness.”
My high school principal said this at the graduation ceremony. It has stuck with me ever since, especially during harder times. The world may not be a kind place, but I just need to keep a smile despite it.
My high school principal said this at the graduation ceremony. It has stuck with me ever since, especially during harder times. The world may not be a kind place, but I just need to keep a smile despite it.
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27points
#14
My mother: “Would you like it if someone did that to you? No? Well, don’t do it to them.”
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26points
#15
My mom’s best advice: “Don’t be stupid.” Usually delivered immediately after I’d done something stupid.
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23points
#16
My grandmother, born in the 1920s, once said in response to some moralistic voices raised against women:
“Better to have many boyfriends than a serious illness. The boyfriends you can get rid of if you want to… but an illness is much harder to shake off.”
“Better to have many boyfriends than a serious illness. The boyfriends you can get rid of if you want to… but an illness is much harder to shake off.”
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23points
#17
“As much fun as it may seem at the time, don’t ever headbang.”
—Advice I’d give my younger self, from me now, many years later, with serious neck pain and cluster headache issues.
—Advice I’d give my younger self, from me now, many years later, with serious neck pain and cluster headache issues.
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22points
#18
“You can’t be true to someone else if you’re not true to yourself.” —Me, to myself, when my first marriage collapsed after eight years of trying to please her and be what I thought she wanted.
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17points
#20
Walking with my husband, complaining about the neighbors—wishing this would happen or that… he says, “Why not wish for them to be better people?”
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12points