I absolutely cannot stand people who recite this quote but has no knowledge of the sentences that come before or after it: "We should forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time: premature optimization is the root of all evil. Yet we should not pass up our opportunities in that critical 3%."

Don't forget:

- The customer is always right in matters of taste

- Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one

- Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back

- A few bad apples spoil the barrel

- Great minds think alike, though fools seldom differ

Even "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" was originally meant to highlight the absurd futility of a situation.