Roxanne Ritchi: What’s the plan?
Megamind: Well, it mostly involves NOT DYING!
Roxanne Ritchi: I like that plan!

— Megamind

The best plans have a simple goal, a simple method, and a simple way to gauge success.  When you start getting creative, things will start getting harder.  No-one gets style points, but you will certainly pay if you overcomplicate things and fail.

Yzma:  All right, I’ve had enough of this. Tell us where the talking lhama is and we’ll burn your house to the ground.
Kronk:  Er, don’t you mean or?
Yzma:  [even more angrily]  Err, tell us where the talking lhama is *or* we’ll burn your house to the ground.
Chaca: Well, which is it? That sounds like a pretty crucial conjunction.

— The  Emperor’s New Groove

Ever notice how quickly people can slip in a small detail that makes all the difference?  It can be anything from the quickly spoken disclaimer at the end of a commercial for a pharmaceutical to “We have to pass it so we can know what’s in it”.  You have to pay attention to just about everything that is said and done in order to know the true motivations and goals of others.  It’s rare in my life that someone I didn’t know very well doesn’t, at one time or another, try to sneak something into our dealings.  Heck, it’s not uncommon that I’ll work with someone for years, with no issues, and then one day they try to tweak our relationship in some small way that hurts me.  Whether it’s a politician, a lawyer, a salesman, or even friends and family, always know not only what they said, but also what they mean.

 Look Dave, I can see you’re really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.  — 2001, A Space Odyssey

There is a time to sit and think, and there is a time to act.  Once you’ve made up your mind, execute.  When someone has abused your trust or tried to harm you, their advice isn’t worth considering.  “Calm down.” is usually code for “Give me time to figure out how to screw you over again”.

President Jordan Lyman: I know what Scott’s attitude on the treaty is, what’s yours?
Colonel Martin “Jiggs” Casey: I agree with General Scott, sir. I think we’re being played for suckers. I think it’s really your business. Yours and the Senate. You did it, and they agreed so, well, I don’t see how we in the military can question it. I mean we can question it, but we can’t fight it. We shouldn’t, anyway.
President Jordan Lyman: Jiggs, isn’t it? Isn’t that what they call you?
Colonel Martin “Jiggs” Casey: Yes sir.
President Jordan Lyman: So you, ah, you stand by the Constitution, Jiggs?
Colonel Martin “Jiggs” Casey: I never thought of it just like that, Mr. President, but, well, that’s what we got and I guess it’s worked pretty well so far. I sure don’t want to be the one to say we ought to change it.

— Seven Days in May

We have a flawed system.  Sometimes those flaws are almost fatal.  But the founders had the foresight to make it possible to correct these flaws.  It’s not easy to amend the Constitution, but it’s not impossible, either.  I think one of the reasons we’ve been able to keep this thing going for almost two and a half centuries is that our military doesn’t see its role as doing that amending for us.  We still find it offensive when politicians try to ignore it.  While we argue at length at interpretation of what the Constitution means, it’s rare when someone who advocates replacing it entirely is taken seriously.

So long as those things hold true, we’ll find a way through our troubles.  When we stop following them, we are doomed.

Mikey, why don’t you tell that nice girl you love her? I love you with all-a my heart, if I don’t see-a you again soon, I’m-a gonna die.  — The Godfather

I’m not the most expressive person on earth.  How I ended up with the Irish Woman is anyone’s guess, because she never fails to tell me how much she loves me, as well as how much I’ve pissed her off.  I try to say “I love you” as often as I can, but I have to do more than just say the words.  I also have to remember to never be ashamed to say it in front of other people, a mistake I’ve made in the past.  Telling someone you love them should never be embarrassing.  If the people around you can’t handle hearing it, it’s their problem.