Quote This . . .

We only need to look to our family for meaningful quotes

My father, EJ Rawson, died at forty-two of a heart attack. He knew that I planned to go into business or law rather than follow him and my grandfather, who were both tool and die makers. My father became an engineer after finishing college, just a few years before he passed.

In my senior year in high school, my dad discovered that I planned to attend college on a football scholarship and then secure a degree in law and business.

At home, we had a forty-foot-tall avocado tree in our backyard. My dad liked to sit under it in the chairs he made and talk. Finally, my dad said to me, “We need to talk.” With that, he proceeded to counsel me as a future businessman. Here’s what he said:

Never depend on an aircraft manufacturer for steady business. He was right.

As you amble on through life, whatever be your goal, keep your eye on the doughnut, and not upon the hole.

That quote saved me millions of dollars over the years.

Remember, you think that there’s not enough time to do it right. However, history has proven there is always enough time to do it over, and this time, do it the way it should be done.

If your clothes and fingernails are clean, take a bath and you can go anywhere.

Frankly, that last quote only helped me once. At ten years old, I went looking for a job and found it. Ultimately, the job I found would allow us to have an apartment. This meant we were no longer homeless.

Your family

Every family has sayings and quotes that are important to them. What did you grow up with that was important to your family?