I’m not sure that Gene Wilder‘s “be careful what you wish for…you may get it” advice [after the jump] is sinking in very much. Most people would he happy to get this hot girl or that great-looking house. If the relationship doesn’t work out or if the house loses its lustre and you wind up selling it or whatever…so what? Most people would say “get the girl” or “buy the house” or both, and worry about the details later. As I listened to Wilder, I thought of something Keith David‘s “King” character said to Charlie Sheen‘s “Chris Taylor” in Platoon: “You gotta be rich in the first place to think like that.”

“You don’t need an education that will set you back $150,000 and keep you in debt for over 20 years if you have curiosity. That’s what John Huston used to say, and is what Owen Wilson believes right now. You really do need to know everything about something and something about everything. And if you don’t know something you just have to be curious about it. Easy. Try not to hang too much with fair-weather friends. Never, ever wear gray cross-training shoes, and think about disassociating yourself from people who own a pair. Especially guys who have milky hairless legs.” — from “Son of What I’ve Learned,” posted on 7.12.12.