Neverisms

Never underestimate the incentive generated

by the prospect of seeing one’s name in print.STEPHEN ANDREW

Never underestimate people’s capacity for screw-ups,

stupidity, misunderstandings, unproductive grudges, ignorance,

and other great traits which set us apart from the animals.GAIA & ELY ASHER, in Management for Cannibals (2003)

Never underestimate the powers of a poem;

never overestimate the powers of a reader.WALLACE BACON

Never underestimate an opponent’s daring

or overestimate his stupidity.THOMAS A. BAILEY, in The Art of Diplomacy (1968)

Bailey was referring to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, but his assessment has been true throughout history: a country that minimizes the threat posed by a mortal enemy is in danger. In his book, Bailey said that a favorite theme of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles was that democracies were not as weak as they were commonly perceived, nor dictatorships as powerful. Dulles expressed the latter view this way: “Never overestimate the strength of a dictatorship.”

My dad thinks I paid for all this with catering jobs.

Never underestimate the power of denial.WES BENTLEY, to Kevin Spacey, in the 1999 film

American Beauty (screenplay by Alan Ball)

In the film, Spacey plays Lester Burnham, a middle-aged man in the midst of a major identity crisis. Bentley plays Lester’s next-door neighbor Ricky Fitts, a teenage loner who works part-time at a catering job as a “cover” for his real source of income—selling marijuana. When Lester enters Ricky’s bedroom for his first pot purchase, he is impressed by the expensive audio and video system in the room. Ricky responds to Lester with the foregoing “denial” neverism.

You must never underestimate the power of the eyebrow.JACK BLACK

Never underestimate what it takes to watch someone you love in pain.ERMA BOMBECK

Bombeck is best known for her wit and humor, but she could also write with great sensitivity about the pathos of life. This observation came from “The Heroism of Care-Givers,” a column that paid tribute to the millions of anonymous people who minister to the needs of the ill, the elderly, and the infirm. Bombeck wrote that every day, the nurturer is confronted by pain that must be faced squarely and “without benefit of numbing painkillers or anesthetics.”

Never underestimate our ability to ignore the obvious.PO BRONSON, in What Should I Do With My Life? (2002)

Bronson, an anthropologist, profiled the lives of fifty people searching for “their true calling.” Many of Bronson’s subjects worked for many years at unsatisfying careers —all the while ignoring deep inner voices urging them to walk down another life path.

Never underestimate the power of words

to heal and reconcile relationships.H. JACKSON BROWN JR., in Life’s Little Instruction Book (1991)

Never underestimate the power of self-absorption,

including your parents’ self-absorption.RITA MAE BROWN

Never underestimate the role pretension plays

when it comes to creating euphemistic language.GEORGE CARLIN

Never underestimate the effectiveness of a straight cash bribe.CLAUD COCKBURN, from In Time of Trouble (1956)

In 1993, Edward E. Sanders gave his book on buying with cash a similar title: Never Underestimate the Power of Cash Deals.

Never underestimate the emotional impact you have as a leader.LEE COCKERELL, former Disney Executive

Vice President, in Creating Magic (2008)

Never overestimate the literacy or the attention span

of people who are terribly, terribly busy.JOHN COWAN

Never underestimate the quality of state schools.

By far they are the most economical and wisest choice

when pursuing an undergraduate degree.ANTHONY J. D’ANGELO, in The College Blue Book (1995)

Never underestimate the ability of a teenager.KEN DAVIS

Davis offered this in a 1988 guide for teens titled How to Live with Your Parents Without Losing Your Mind. Alluding to the biblical figure who slayed Goliath, he wrote: “From the time of David up to now, teenagers like you have distinguished themselves in history by proving that when they put their minds to something, they can frequently do it better and with more conviction than most adults.”

Never underestimate an adversary.DANNY DE VITO, to Michael Douglas,

in the 1989 film The War of the Roses

De Vito, in the role of divorce attorney Gavin D’Amato, is referring to Barbara Rose (Kathleen Turner) as he offers this advice to client Oliver Rose (played by Douglas). Oliver ignores the advice, a decision he will ultimately regret.

Never underestimate the powers of a librarian in the age of the Internet.ANITA DIAMANT, from a character

in her 2001 novel Good Harbor

Never overestimate the competence of those around you.CHARLES HARRINGTON ELSTER & JOSEPH ELLIOT

This appeared in Tooth and Nail: A Novel Approach to the New SAT (1994), an SAT preparation book in the form of a mystery novel.

Never underestimate a parent’s ability to mortify his child.PETER GALLAGHER, as Sanford “Sandy” Cohen

in a 2004 episode of The O.C.

Never underestimate the effect

being confronted by the FBI will have on a suspect.THOMAS GIBSON, as Special Agent Aaron Hotchner in a

2007 episode of the CBS-TV series Criminal Minds

Never underestimate the insecurity of a star.WILLIAM GOLDMAN, in Adventures in the Screen Trade