Over the course of my life, I have come up with a number of thoughts and observations that I have always wanted to memorialize and share. Most of these, I suppose are advice, yet I always harken back to Baz Luhrmann when evaluating advice:

“Be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
From the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts
And recycling it for more than it’s worth.”

Sunscreen Song 1999

No advice or observation is completely original. We all, consciously or perhaps subconsciously borrow from the thoughts of others who came before us. Having said that, some thoughts to share for better or worse (I give credit on a few that are honestly not mine, which I use all the time) …

“Hang out with people who make you better. If the people you hang out with don’t make you better, find new people to hang out with.”

“Nothing quite says health like the cigarette smoking bicyclist, nothing quite says femininity like the bearded man trying to look like a woman (think New Seasons), and nothing quite says futility like the pony tailed balding guy.”

“Men start to look like women and women start to look like men as they age” (not all but enough to call it a trend)

“When using cocaine, you think the word is in awe of you. When smoking marijuana, you are in awe of the world.” (Lesson from my distant past)

“You don’t find your passions, your passions find you.”

“Guys rag on one another face to face as a bonding exercise, women rag on other women not present as a bonding exercise.”

“Ask ten people their opinion on something related to financial markets. If the vast majority expect something to happen, expect the opposite.”

“Do something nice for another person a least once every day, preferably when no one is watching.”

“When it come to watches, one word, Swiss.”

When it comes to cars, one word, German.” OK Italian has to be included as well.” (My good friend Scott Waszak would never forgive me if not the exception)

“Linger. In all you do, never forget to linger, and enjoy the moment.”

“Declare war on the urge to hurry as soon as possible. You won’t understand this until it is too late.”

“Some of the smartest people I’ve met in my life say I don’t know often and some of the dumbest people I have met say I don’t know rarely.”

“Great ideas are plentiful, great execution of a great idea is rare. An average idea with great execution will beat a great idea with poor execution every time.”

“There is such a thing as being too smart.” Leads to paralysis through analysis.” There is no perfect moment to pull the trigger in life. Sometimes A Random Moment will have to do.”

“Some of the bravest people I have ever met experience fear. They just don’t let fear get in the way of what needs to be done.”

“Dogs seem to like people of good character.”

“Fast animals in nature never need to stretch.”

“The best gatherings I’ve experienced in my life are small intimate groups. The more people involved, the less likelihood of a treasured experience.”

“You can’t lead if you don’t read.”

“As a parent, you are only as happy as your least happy child.” (Credit to good friend Ray C. Pittman Jr.)

“All investing follows three distinct cycles, Fear, Greed, Speculation, (and then Repeat.)” You should be a buyer in the first cycle (few are), and a seller in the last (few are). Only way to achieve success in this strategy is a willingness to be early. Much easier said than done.”

“As one ages there is nothing more important than retaining relevance. The second you become irrelevant, you begin the process of death. Stay relevant.”

“Best indicator I have ever seen for the health of the economy is trucking. As goes trucking, so goes the economy.”

“If you are the biggest / largest character in your life’s story, you exist in an exceedingly small story.”

“God has created majesty and grandeur all around, revel in it and let it be a reminder to be humble and giving.”

“The best times we have had in this country were when men weren’t afraid to be men, and women weren’t afraid to be women. We now live in a world where more and more men act like women, and more and more women act like men.”

“Mind, body, and soul… I have met lots of people who excel in one, a few who excel in two, and virtually none that excel in all three. Soul is the most important and obviously the most difficult. Shoot for all three.”

“A sunny day and/or a good night’s sleep seem to make most problems seem less dire.”

“One teaspoon of caffeine is about right, and yet, one tablespoon can kill a person, let that be a reminder that too much of (even) a good thing is almost always a bad thing.”

 “Misery + Time = Humor. (Not always of course but often)”

“Good wine and a good haircut have a lot in common as to their ability to renew one’s spirit.”

“Lots of Lots, Damn Dams, Peace Piece, Weak Week, Are Our, Rain Reigns and Fair Fare. Isn’t language fun.”

“Worry about what you can do rather than what you can’t do.” We were all legends in our own mind at one time; remember, Father Time is undefeated and untied.”

“In life you’ll find that everyone is screwed up, the only question is to what degree.” (Credit to Ken Cook)

“Everything I own is for sale. All a matter of price and timing.” (Credit to Ken Cook).

“At one time the world was composed of those who Pray, those who Fight, and those who Farm.” Things haven’t changed much despite our efforts to deceive ourselves. Salvation, Security, and Sustenance are the three S’s that will Never become less important despite modern efforts to believe otherwise.”

“In business, once you give someone something, it can never be taken away without huge ramifications.” (Credit to Burt Wittenburg)

“In business unlike life, committees are useless, benevolent dictatorships are useful.”

“Entrepreneurs are special, workers are indispensable. As true as the sun rising in the East tomorrow morning. Attack these people at your peril as a country. We should do all in our power to encourage their efforts.”

“When you run a race, the fastest people win. Engineering a different result is as stupid as it sounds, and yet liberal politics are often guilty of striving to achieve said stupidity.”

“As an athlete during my life, I always hated losing more than I loved winning. Not sure what that means, yet it is something to think about. Something tells me the inverse is better.”

“Abortion in the third trimester and beyond (except in the rarest of circumstances) crosses a line that NO human being should be willing to cross (hate to be overly political but this has to be said). If you are willing to cross that line, there are really no words I can offer.”

“Wherever YOU are, there YOU are. A change in geography doesn’t necessarily lead to a change in psychology.”

“Think of your life like a large glass of clear, beautiful water. Eventually bad things (think drops of oil) are added to your cup. Sometimes and in fact often, there is no way to extract the oil (bad) from the water (good). Simply a fact of life… What you can always do is add more water. Dilution is a great technique to deal with life’s pollution in it’s many forms.”

“As an investor, I love dividends. I get paid to be wrong until I’m right. Stick with quality however.”

I do expect to add to this over the years. Hopefully, this is a good start. Thank you to all who have influenced me over the years, there have been many.

Thanks for reading.

Thomas M. Cook

7/1/21