Mr. Salt: Ladies first, and that means Veruca.
Grandpa Joe: [to Charlie] If she’s a lady, I’m a Vermicious Knid.

— Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

If you want to be treated like a lady, act like one.  I’m not saying you should act like a shrinking violet. A woman can be a beer drinking hell raiser, and still deserve to be treated like a lady.  What makes a lady is what makes a gentleman: honor.  A lady doesn’t lie, steal, or cheat, nor does she tolerate those who do.  She stands up for those who cannot, defends that which is right, and never turns away from a challenge.

The world can be a cruel place to an honest man, Frank. — In The Line Of Fire

Today, I decided that it was better to keep my mouth shut and do my job instead of saying exactly what I thought and being dragged into someone else’s drama.  I always try to be honest, but discretion is the better part of valor, and it keeps you from being the messenger with the hole in his forehead.

 Now you might not believe it, but under fire Animal Mother is one of the… finest human beings in the world. All he needs is somebody to throw hand grenades at him the rest of his life.  — Full Metal Jacket

I’ve known a lot of people who were absolutely brilliant in high pressure situations, but turned into complete jackasses during downtime.  Soldiers that were awesome when on duty almost had to have a minder on the weekends or after we got back from the field.  Their behavior, so long as it didn’t hurt anyone, would usually be forgiven because, in every way except acting like one, they were a good soldier.

I think of this as the warrior versus the soldier.  You see, a warrior is outstanding in battle.  He prepares himself to a very fine edge for it, and executes as flawlessly as possible.  His knowledge of all things related to his chosen avocation is boundless, and he is always straining to improve.

The soldier, on the other hand, is everything the warrior is, and more.

The warrior may be outstanding at shooting his weapon, either at the range or in combat, but the soldier not only qualifies as an expert marksman, but also knows how to teach others about the weapon and how to shoot it.  A warrior may be able to drive like a mad man to save a comrade or close with the enemy, but the soldier also knows how to properly do checks and maintenance on it so that it runs when it’s needed.  The warrior makes sure that his subordinates know everything they know to be great warriors, too, but the soldier makes sure they are given opportunities to learn and lead so that they can become more.  A warrior is disciplined when it comes to the art of war, while a soldier is disciplined in all things.  A warrior brings glory to himself and to the military when he goes to war.  A soldier brings honor to the military no matter where he is.

In short, it’s not enough to be a badass in battle.  You have to be more.  There isn’t always going to be someone chucking hand grenades at you, and you have to be willing to do the right thing in their absence.

Remember, there’s always something cleverer than yourself. — Excalibur

One of the things that I need to remind myself of occasionally is that I am rarely the smartest person in the room.  This is a trap that I see a lot of people falling into, either in person or over the Internet, including myself.  Yes, there are some very narrow subjects about which I know more than 80% of the people out there, but those areas are very specialized and do not lend themselves to mastering other subjects.

Also, if you recognize that you are not the go-to expert on something, you recognize that you still have something to learn.  That opens up more avenues in a given subject to explore, more people to meet and learn from, and more subjects that will interest you.

How boring it must be to truly be the smartest person in a room.

Pardner, it’s been my experience that there ain’t nothin’ more ruthless and treacherous than a genuine good woman. — Paint Your Wagon

Lord, protect me from Irish Woman when she has an idea and knows she’s right.  My lovely wife is such a good soul that when she gets a notion, examines it, determines its righteousness, and starts moving from A to B to C to Q, there isn’t much that will slow her down, much less stop her.

Of course, if she wasn’t like that, there wouldn’t be a lot of things getting done around here.