# Thoughts on these quotes or sayings.



## Chrisinmd (May 18, 2019)

I was watching a old Clint Eastwood Movie this evening.  Heard the famous quote from that movie
Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood)
Quote - “A man has to know his limitations.”

My dad and Ive heard some other people in my life say
"Don't let anyone tell you their is something you cant do"

Made me think how these to quotes or saying apply to my life and which one I should give more weight to.  I like the positive thinking and motivational aspect of "Don't let anyone tell you their is something you cant do"

But a more realistic view of life is the “A man has to know his limitations.” saying.

So is it more important in your opinion for a man to know his limitations or believe that he can do anything?


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (May 18, 2019)

Por que no los dos? Don't let anyone else tell you what you can't do, but figure out your own limitations, and remember them. 

I'm not a fan of sticking blankly to any quotes, their mostly situational, but those two actually seem like they fit well together.


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## CB Jones (May 18, 2019)

A man has to know his limitations....be realistic

I'm not gonna beat Mark Hunt in a Fist fight.

I'm probably not gonna beat Jerry Miculek in a quick draw gunfight.

But that doeant mean you have to set your goals low....just be realistic.


What Harry is saying is....if you dont know your realistic limitations....you are doomed for failure.


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## granfire (May 18, 2019)

CB Jones said:


> A man has to know his limitations....be realistic
> 
> I'm not gonna beat Mark Hunt in a Fist fight.
> 
> ...


well, he was saying 'if you think you are God you'll get blown up'


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## CB Jones (May 18, 2019)

granfire said:


> well, he was saying 'if you think you are God you'll get blown up'



No he is saying know your limitations....and those limitations are messing with Harry Callahan.


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## JP3 (May 18, 2019)

I think that I should think that I can do anything I put my mind to... but I need to be able to tell other people that they need to know their limitations.  That's exactly as Harry Callahan was using the statement.


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## Buka (May 18, 2019)

An interesting note of trivia, that line was actually a poke at his commanding officer, Lt Briggs [Hal Holbrook] Not that any of us would ever do such a thing.

Harry Callahan : _Well, I just work for the city Briggs._

Lieutentant Briggs: _So do I, longer than you, and I never had to take my gun out of it's holster once. I'm proud of that._

Harry Calahan: _Well, you're a good man, lieutenant. A good man always knows his limitations._

My buddy, Paul, drew the posters for Magnum Force and Dirty Harry. He just gave me the original Dirty Harry one. Score.


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## Danny T (May 18, 2019)

Buka said:


> An interesting note of trivia, that line was actually a poke at his commanding officer, Lt Briggs [Hal Holbrook] Not that any of us would ever do such a thing.
> 
> Harry Callahan : _Well, I just work for the city Briggs._
> 
> ...


Buka...you are the most connected person!!


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## Buka (May 18, 2019)

Danny T said:


> Buka...you are the most connected person!!



Paul’s a cop here at the airport, out injured right now unfortunately, worked as an artist for years at Warner Brothers. When I first asked him what it was like being the artist on an iconic film he said...

“It was just another low budget cop film at the time, and I had just finished several posters for several “Blaxploitation” films earlier that day, I just threw it together - I was in my broken glass phase - and just wanted to finish it and go home for dinner.

His “broken glass phase” was stuff on posters where glass was shattered by bullets etc. He said he had gotten on a roll with them at the time. We laughed our butts off over the story.


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## dvcochran (May 18, 2019)

Chrisinmd said:


> I was watching a old Clint Eastwood Movie this evening.  Heard the famous quote from that movie
> Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood)
> Quote - “A man has to know his limitations.”
> 
> ...



I would say there is no way to know your limitations until you take the approach that there are none. This only applies to "the good things in life", and not trying to be the guy who is always taking foolish risk.
I used to be able to hold my breath underwater for over 6 minutes and used to do it as a bet freediving. Twice I got in real trouble and was on the verge of passing out near the surface and had to have help to get topside. Thankfully we always had spotters near the surface. Not wise.


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## Gerry Seymour (May 19, 2019)

Like so many pithy quotes, neither covers all situations. They are a way to think about things, and aren't really in conflict.

A man has to know his limitations. It's useful for me to know that I'm easily distracted and bored by detail after a point. It's also useful for me to know that I can be too wordy when explaining, and can talk over others' attempts to think about what I'm saying.

Never let anybody tell you what you can't do. Never take for granted that someone saying "you can't do that" is correct in saying so. If it's important to you, find a way.


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## Gerry Seymour (May 19, 2019)

Buka said:


> An interesting note of trivia, that line was actually a poke at his commanding officer, Lt Briggs [Hal Holbrook] Not that any of us would ever do such a thing.
> 
> Harry Callahan : _Well, I just work for the city Briggs._
> 
> ...


Brother, you got a lotta really cool buddies.


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## Danny T (May 19, 2019)

Buka said:


> When I first asked him what it was like being the artist on an iconic film he said...
> 
> “It was just another low budget cop film at the time, and I had just finished several posters for several “Blaxploitation” films earlier that day, I just threw it together - I was in my broken glass phase - and just wanted to finish it and go home for dinner.


Have heard many stories as such. 
Kind of just 'all in a days work nothing special' and suddenly it's a part of iconic history.


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## Bill Mattocks (May 19, 2019)

"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" Robert Browning


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## Buka (May 19, 2019)

Back to the OP's thoughts.....

"Don't let anyone tell you there is something you cant do"

“A man has to know his limitations.” 

Sounds like a perfect, real word example of Yin and Yang.


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## granfire (May 19, 2019)

Buka said:


> Back to the OP's thoughts.....
> 
> "Don't let anyone tell you there is something you cant do"
> 
> ...


something like 'with more discipline comes more freedom'


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## dvcochran (May 19, 2019)

Buka said:


> Back to the OP's thoughts.....
> 
> "Don't let anyone tell you there is something you cant do"
> 
> ...


Hey, that sounds a lot like a quote of it's own!


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## CB Jones (May 19, 2019)

Buka said:


> Back to the OP's thoughts.....
> 
> "Don't let anyone tell you there is something you cant do"
> 
> ...



A man has got to know his limitations because.....

You dont tug on Superman's Cape
You dont spit into the wind
You dont poke the mask of that ole Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Slim.


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## Buka (May 19, 2019)

CB Jones said:


> A man has got to know his limitations because.....
> 
> You dont tug on Superman's Cape
> You dont spit into the wind
> ...



My last dojo which I opened in 83 and closed two months ago used to be a pocket billiards parlor that I just about grew up in. And I AM a skinny bastard, so....

I am a pool shootin’ boy, my name Willie McCoy.
But down home they call me slim.


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## Gerry Seymour (May 20, 2019)

CB Jones said:


> A man has got to know his limitations because.....
> 
> You dont tug on Superman's Cape
> You dont spit into the wind
> ...


There's a good French version of that song, too, by Joe Dassin. He had to change the cultural references, but kept the song pretty true to the original.


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## dvcochran (May 20, 2019)

CB Jones said:


> A man has got to know his limitations because.....
> 
> You dont tug on Superman's Cape
> You dont spit into the wind
> ...


I Love Jim Croche. Brings back great memories.


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## dvcochran (May 21, 2019)

I heard a great "quote" today, maybe just a phrase. A NFL player was on a sports talk radio show and said "When a person says somebody has a lot of potential, that really means they haven't done anything yet. I found that profoundly true.


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## thanson02 (May 22, 2019)

granfire said:


> something like 'with more discipline comes more freedom'



That is a concept that I have found people have problems wrapping their heads around.


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## granfire (May 23, 2019)

dvcochran said:


> I heard a great "quote" today, maybe just a phrase. A NFL player was on a sports talk radio show and said "When a person says somebody has a lot of potential, that really means they haven't done anything yet. I found that profoundly true.


well, it often means (in people) they are either too lazy, or put in the wrong spot.
Kind of like with them house shows on TV:
'It has potential' means you have to bulldoze the place and start over


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## Chrisinmd (May 27, 2019)

CB Jones said:


> A man has to know his limitations....be realistic
> 
> I'm not gonna beat Mark Hunt in a Fist fight.
> 
> ...



Very well thought out post.  The question is what is "realistic" for a person to accomplish and when are you being unrealistic and setting yourself up for failure. For example If I want to be an NBA player (im 41 years old and white) I can train 18 hours a day and have the greatest coach on the world training me and it just isn't going to ever happen.

Not if I wanted to be a world champion golfer I could spend that same 18 hours a day training and with great coaching it is at least physically possible I could break onto the PGA tour.

I see a lot of people pounding their head so to speak on things that will never happen for them anyway.  Im all for positive thinking and trying to improve yourself but as the saying goes "A man has got to know his limations"


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## Buka (May 27, 2019)

Chrisinmd said:


> Very well thought out post.  The question is what is "realistic" for a person to accomplish and when are you being unrealistic and setting yourself up for failure. For example If I want to be an NBA player (im 41 years old and white) I can train 18 hours a day and have the greatest coach on the world training me and it just isn't going to ever happen.
> 
> Not if I wanted to be a world champion golfer I could spend that same 18 hours a day training and with great coaching it is at least physically possible I could break onto the PGA tour.
> 
> I see a lot of people pounding their head so to speak on things that will never happen for them anyway.  Im all for positive thinking and trying to improve yourself but as the saying goes "A man has got to know his limations"



I can't both agree and disagree, so I have to write it out. I completely agree that a man as to know his limitations. Heart felt Amen on that. 

But as for this "_Not if I wanted to be a world champion golfer I could spend that same 18 hours a day training and with great coaching it is at least physically possible I could break onto the PGA tour."_

While the probability is technically not zero, I’m not going _"infinite monkey theorem" _with you. I think you're taking the conceptual comparisons of the two sports out of context._
_


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## Gerry Seymour (May 27, 2019)

Buka said:


> I can't both agree and disagree, so I have to write it out. I completely agree that a man as to know his limitations. Heart felt Amen on that.
> 
> But as for this "_Not if I wanted to be a world champion golfer I could spend that same 18 hours a day training and with great coaching it is at least physically possible I could break onto the PGA tour."_
> 
> While the probability is technically not zero, I’m not going _"infinite monkey theorem" _with you. I think you're taking the conceptual comparisons of the two sports out of context.


I agree. I think a better example (using myself this time) would be the chance of me becoming a highly-skilled basketball player who can dunk the ball and drive the lane, versus me being able to get to a single-digit handicap. Both are a long way off, but I have some of the skills for the latter (and almost none of the former), and there's no specific physical lack that would stop me from playing golf quite well (whereas my knees will put the kibosh on that dunk, all by themselves). Neither is actually going to happen, but one of them probably could.


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## Chrisinmd (May 31, 2019)

gpseymour said:


> I agree. I think a better example (using myself this time) would be the chance of me becoming a highly-skilled basketball player who can dunk the ball and drive the lane, versus me being able to get to a single-digit handicap. Both are a long way off, but I have some of the skills for the latter (and almost none of the former), and there's no specific physical lack that would stop me from playing golf quite well (whereas my knees will put the kibosh on that dunk, all by themselves). Neither is actually going to happen, but one of them probably could.



Yes yours is a much better example.


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## punisher73 (Jun 4, 2019)

In reading the examples given, I think an important point to consider on the quote, "never let anyone tell you that you can't do something."  Is that part of that is the assumption that you haven't tried it yet.  If you take their advice on face value, you will never find out if they were wrong.  Most worthy goals and ideas are outside of our current limitations.  Only by pushing past our limitations do we discover our ultimate LIMIT for something.  By pushing and challenging ourselves, we will ultimately come to know our limitations.  Makes me think of the advice that my parents always gave me, "you'll never know unless you try".


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## punisher73 (Jun 5, 2019)

Right on topic I thought about knowing your limits and being told you can't do something.


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