Roamin' in the Gloamin'
“And it’s a bonny, bonny day in Ireland when you’re roamin’ in the *gloamin’ and a’comin’ through the rye. But if ye let that rye get hold o’ye – I’m talkin’ rye whiskey now – your roamin’ will be of an altogether different kind.” – Marlen Magyster (1878), a distant relative of Dink Weber, one of the original Jamestown colonists.
*Gloaming, or twilight, is the time of day immediately following sunset.
Have a bonny day.
Roy H. Williams
TRIVIA: My friend Russell Friedman is the cousin of America's Dr. Dink Weber,
a retired CIA operative and a descendant of the original Dink Weber of Jamestown.
Dink on the Truth
The truth is like a small slippery bar of soap … the harder you try to grab it … the more likely it will slip from your grasp. – Dink Weber
When my five year old niece got in trouble for telling a story instead of the telling the truth she replied, ” I think stories are more fun” Isn't that the truth? – Dink Weber
Most people confuse facts for truth … They ain't even kissin' cousins. – Dink Weber
Dink on People
The secret to people is to realize that no matter how successful, rich or famous a person is … inside is a little kid who is afraid of the dark … talk to that kid. – Dink Weber
My grandmother said to watch how a person treats kids when no one is looking. – Dink Weber
The best smiles start on the inside and work their way out to your face. – Dink Weber
Dink on Happiness
An old man in Vietnam explained that happiness was simple … a bowl of rice, a happy wife and a mother in law who was far, far away … I think he was on to something. – Dink Weber
Happiness is not a thing or a place … its a journey … not many people realize this until they get lots of wrinkles. – Dink Weber
Tell a five year old kid to pretend he is happy and he'll break out in a big grin. Adults will just look confused. Kids are smart enough to know that happiness is no different than any other game of pretend. – Dink Weber
Dink on Democracy
The thing about Democracy is that the whole business of getting elected and re-elected leaves politicians with little time to do anything else … That's what makes Democracy so great. – Dink Weber
Why is it that people stop believing in Santa Claus when they are seven but continue to believe in political parties when they're seventy-seven? – Dink Weber
People who are staunch Democrats or staunch Republicans usually suffer from a lack of imagination and fun. – Dink Weber
A thing that's really stinky is “staunch.” – Dink Weber
Just cause 1000 people say pigs fly don't make it so. But if you get them to vote you can put a pig in office. As long as the pig is staunch. – Dink Weber
People who are staunch were once open-minded. – Dink Weber
Dink on the Presidency
A president must look like a boy scout and act like a loan shark … Nixon looked like a loan shark, Jimmy Carter acted like a boy scout but Reagan put it all together. – Dink Weber
I worked with all of them from Tricky Dick to Slick Willie. Nixon was the smartest, Bush was the nicest but Willie was the most fun. – Dink Weber
The hardest part of being a president is having the biggest baddest military in the world … and not getting to blow things up … and when you do blow things up … things blow up. – Dink Weber
Dink on Education
The scarecrow was smart before he got his diploma. So are you. – Dink Weber
The most successful people in the world possess two remarkable skills … they aren't afraid to make mistakes and they don't know when to quit. If you follow that advice you will either get rich or die young. – Dink Weber
Graduating from College is like getting out prison … Sure, it feels good to be out … but now you got to get a job. – Dink Weber
Dink on Women
Women pride themselves on being smarter than men but Men don't view being stupid as a handicap. That's why we like sports. – Dink Weber
My grandmother always told me to find a big girl who cooked good instead of a skinny girl who looked good. She said that by the time I was fifty the only thing that I would be able to do more than once a day was eat. – Dink Weber
Dink on Fame
Even the greatest authors in the world eventually get reduced down to a few quotes. – Dink Weber
In the end all they remember about great writers is a few quotes. I start with quotes. Saves a step. – Dink Weber
Dink on Motivation
As long as a bike is moving forward it's easy to keep it upright … same for people … Keep moving forward. – Dink Weber
Will Rogers never met a man he didn't like … I never met a man I didn't like, either. It's just that I would have “liked” to have kicked a few of 'em in the ass. I wonder if Will meant it that way? – Dink Weber
The secret to motivation boils down to a single word … Yes. Yes will carry you places so high that No ain't ever been there. Be a Yes person. – Dink Weber
Dink on the Power of Imagination
Look in a kids playroom. You see wooden blocks painted green, red, blue and yellow. They see castles, cars and rockets ships. Reality is the wooden blocks. Imagination is the castle the kid builds with those blocks. Kids understand the difference between reality and imagination. They choose imagination. – Dink Weber
Want to know the secret to a successful life. Bring home a great big cardboard box to your kids. They will play all day in it. They understand that life is really just one big game of pretend. That's the secret. – Dink Weber
Dink on Being Short (5' 5″)
Someone once asked me if being short was a handicap. Being blind is a handicap. Being short just means it's tough to start in the NBA. (National Motivational Speakers Awards Dinner in Atlanta … April 1995) – Dink Weber
Contrary to what you may have heard … short people's leg do reach the ground … just a lot quicker. – Dink Weber
I was asked once if I had a choice between being smart and short or tall and good looking what would I choose. So I chose. – Dink Weber
Dink on Ethnicity
A person's ethnic heritage is simply a suit you can't take off. So keep it clean and wear it proudly. – Dink Weber
Calling a Sicilian an Italian is like calling a Texan a Yankee. Either way, you're wrong and it's a damn good way to get hurt. (as told to Senator Toricelli of NJ and Senator Phil Graham at White House Press Corp Luncheon in 1998) – Dink Weber
Dink on Catholicism and Religion
… Mother Teresa was Catholic … but then so are a lot of Mafia hit men. (From Dink's commencement address to the students when he spoke at his High School Alma Mater – May 1988) – Dink Weber
A friend once asked me if there is only one God, why are there so many religions … I asked him, “If soda pop is just carbonated water and sugar, how come it takes up a whole aisle in the grocery store?” – Dink Weber
I was born Italian and raised Catholic. I was seven years old before I realized there was a difference. – Dink Weber
Dink on The Essence of Dinkicity
A boiled egg is hard to beat. – DW
Fear of being looked on as stupid … is stupid. – DW
Why call it Failure? Call it PRACTICE/RESEARCH/TESTING. – Dink Weber
Seeing something for the first time is a magical. Seeing it again for the first time is genius. – Dink Weber
An EXPERT knows a lot about a little. – Dink Weber
It ain't the size of the dog in the fight … it's the number of dogs in the fight who are on your side. – Dink Weber
A cheerleader keeps shaking her pom-poms even when the team is behind … especially when the team is behind. – Dink Weber
The most advanced high tech system you can buy is still the human mind. – Dink Weber
A computer is not supposed to replace the human mind … it's supposed leverage it. – Dink Weber
Most executives spend more time at lunch than training or coaching their staff. – Dink Weber
It takes sweat to make things happen … Smart guys leverage other people's sweat. – Dink Weber
You can't get rich by sweat alone … you have to get a lot of people sweating. – Dink Weber
Nobody gets anywhere without good people skills. – Dink Weber
Great bosses are both beloved and feared. – Dink Weber
The need to be liked is perhaps the greatest handicap. – Dink Weber