Many years ago, Gail Mackiernan of Silver Spring, Md., attended a lecture given by Chuck Yeager . The famed aviator discussed his illustrious career — World War II fighter ace; first man to break the sound barrier; test pilot for many experimental aircraft — and wrapped up by asking for questions.
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“Most were about aviation but the last one gave Yeager pause,” Gail wrote. An audience member had asked: “General Yeager, what life advice could you give us?”
Yeager thought for a moment then replied, “Never let yourself get into a situation where they have to bring a pathologist in to look at you.”
Wrote Gail: “Advice I have followed ever since .？.？. ”
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I recently asked readers to share the unforgettable tips they’ve received over the years. Read on and decide which to incorporate into your own life.
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“A memorable piece of ‘pithy’ advice I received came from a chief officer early in my career with the fire service,” wrote John White of Sterling, Va. That advice? “Don’t stand too close to the guys who are always getting hurt.”
When Mike Isacco of Manassas, Va., entered the Army, his grandfather — a veteran of World War II and the Korean War — advised him: “Don’t eat food that goes ‘splat’ when it hits your plate.”
Wrote Mike: “Feel free to pass the advice along to Tom Sietsema.”
When Caroline Ajootian and her husband traveled to St. Petersburg in the early 1990s, they were advised not to make eye contact with people on the street. Caroline said they were told that doing so “could involve one in a KGB-style entanglement that would only end badly.”
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The warning turned out to be prescient. While touring the city, the couple noticed two men tailing them.
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“A few days later while traveling by subway, the same men accosted us and demanded my husband’s camera after he took some pictures,” wrote Caroline, of Philomath, Ore. “They settled for simply taking the film.”
Beverly Stoltz of Springfield, Va., said that her grandfather, who lived during the Depression, often told her: “When you see a line, get in it. You never know what they’re giving away.”
Ruth Arnold’s father shared two bits of advice with her: “When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout” and the less frenetic, “Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted.”
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“A wise man, indeed,” wrote Ruth, who lives in Alexandria, Va.
Over the last four decades, Arlington, Va.’s Michael A. Shea has worked various jobs both in and alongside the federal government. This has involved many training sessions on security issues.
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The advice he will always remember came from a session in the 1980s on bomb threats and detection. Here is how they summed up the training: “Once you identify there is a bomb present, get out of there as fast as possible.”
Wrote Michael: “I can’t say I would not have thought of that on my own, but I also will never forget it.”
A Gaithersburg, Md., reader named Doug served on submarines in the Navy.
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“One thing you learned was to never break wind going down the hatch,” Doug wrote. “Breaking wind going up the hatch was okay. It was the people below you who suffered. But going down the hatch kept you in the cloud the whole way down.”
Speaking of which, George Kaye of Silver Spring said the best advice he ever got was from his grandfather. The gist was to pick your battles judiciously. Or as his granddad memorably put it: “Never get into a farting contest with a skunk.”
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Terry C. Smith of Arnold, Md., is proud that he was able to give some advice. It was on a camping trip with the Boy Scouts. After dinner, Terry went to a small brook to wash his mess kit. Food was burned onto it, so he left it to soak.
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When Terry returned, he found that another camper also thought it was the perfect place to take care of business: The other Scout was relieving himself into the water.
This prompted Terry to yell, “Look before you leak!”
Gary Weitzner of Kensington, Md., thinks the best advice he ever got came from an Ann Landers or a Dear Abby column that he read when he was in high school: “You wouldn’t worry so much about what other people think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”
Wrote Gary: “I took that advice to heart and passed it on to many others, including my son.”
My advice? Read tomorrow’s column. I’ll share more reader life tips.
Twitter: @johnkelly
For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/john-kelly.