EVERY BUMPER STICKER PHRASE HAS A STORY

Do you think you really know what these 10 bumper sticker phrases mean?

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Motivational and common-use phrases have been embedded in the fabric of our lives forever and social media has done nothing but increase their already ubiquitous presence just about everywhere. And, as everything that is infinitely repeated, they end up losing their original meaning and sense. The following well-known phrases and quotes have deep meanings that we will attempt to uncover. So, stick around and see if one of these bumper sticker phrases means something different than you think it does!

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Let us start by getting out of the way one of the most ubiquitous motivational phrases in the world. "Keep calm and carry on" was coined in 1939 as a wartime slogan intended to boost the morale of the British people during World War II. But the now famous phrase was never made public then, with a very small number of originals being printed.

It wasn’t until a copy was discovered in a bookshop in Northumberland in 2000, and reproductions of it began to be sold a year later, that its fame was established. Nowadays, it is used to sell everything from mugs to flight bags and baby clothes.

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Another extremely well-known phrase, used and overused in millions of mugs, prints, notebooks, and whatnot, is "eat, pray, love." The popular slogan was created by author Elizabeth Gilbert as the name of her novel about a journey of self-discovery after a failed marriage.

The phrase encompasses the three activities that helped the author navigate through the life-period described in the book and it has since been used as a mantra of sorts, for its motivational value.

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A favorite of travelers from all over the world, the phrase "not all those who wander are lost" was penned by J.R.R. Tolkien, for his timeless classic, The Lord of the Rings. The line is from the poem "All That Glitters Is Not Gold", which is the riddle of the Strider, or Aragorn.

The quote means just because someone likes to explore and wander, not just physically, spiritually, and mentally, that doesn’t mean they’re lost. It also conveys how people who lose their way can still bounce back in life.

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Coco Chanel was famous for creating a style and becoming an icon herself. But she didn’t do this by following the same path women delving into fashion were supposed to follow in the early 1900s. Instead, she made her own thing and found massive success.

Her phrase "in order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different" is especially meaningful in light of her life story and expresses a highly practical idea: if no one possesses your skills, then you cannot be replaced by anyone.

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Just by seeing the highly intimidating blackboards covered in mathematical figures the man used to face, we can be assured that Albert Einstein was no stranger to facing difficulties.

He knew that necessity is the mother of invention and was able to gain knowledge through infinite trials and errors.

The phrase attributed to him, "In the middle of every difficulty lies an opportunity" expresses that same concept in simple words that convey to each one of us to look for the gain in every challenge that presents itself to us.

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We have probably all heard this one. The phrase "Rome wasn't built in a day" is used to refer to a great task or achievement that takes time and effort.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was this phrase's history. The earliest known record of the phrase is in a collection of French poems, Li Proverbe au Vilain, that was published before the 1200s.

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The poetically charged phrase "Every cloud has a silver lining" can be traced directly from a piece written in 1634 by English poet John Milton called "Comus: A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle". In it, Milton spoke of a silver lining of brightness behind a gloomy cloud, and soon afterward ‘Milton’s clouds’ became a staple of English Literature.

The phrase’s meaning is that every bad thing brings along some good, and it eventually came into being and common use in the 1800’s, in Victorian England.

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Another one of those phrases seen embroidered on a pillow, or on a Hallmark postcard, is "Absence makes the heart grow fonder". This sweet quote came originally from the Roman poet Sextus Propertius' Elegies, "Always toward absent lovers love's tide stronger flows", which was converted into the modern variant we know today in 1832,' in The Pocket Magazine of Classic and Polite Literature. The phrase means that the lack of something increases the desire for it.

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The earliest iteration of the phrase, dating back to 1866 states: "Eat an apple on going to bed, And you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread". The meaning of this phrase is quite straightforward: if you eat your vegetables, your body will thank you.

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This quote by Mahatma Gandhi suggests that love is a force that sustains and nurtures life itself. The idea here is that love, in all its forms, is a fundamental ingredient of life. It is the fuel that moves it forward, and the anchor that grounds it in troubled times. Without love, life would lose much of its meaning and color.

GOOD AND BACK LUCK OMENS

Don’t Mess With Your Luck: 10 Common Superstitions Explained!

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We can agree that logic and science are universally praised, without them, the modern world wouldn’t be as it is, right? Yet, superstitions can easily get into our minds and make us believe that doing certain things can instantly turn the tables and curse us forever.

Who hasn’t felt the eerie energy of a Friday 13th or changed paths to avoid walking under a ladder?

In this article, we’ll go through ten of the most common superstitions and where they come from, are you brave enough to test your luck?

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This superstition is so common around the world, that there is even a word to describe the phobia to it: friggatriskaidekaphobics. However common it may be, the superstition itself is rather new, dating back to the 19th century. Fridays have long been considered unlucky by the Christian tradition since Jesus died on a Friday. The number 13 isn’t always a favorite either so, the two of them combined raise all kinds of suspicions. Are you afraid of them?

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Umbrellas can be a useful tool to protect oneself from the rain a other events, but they should always be closed once you step inside your home. If you do otherwise, you may be stuck with bad luck. Why? Well, there are many legends surrounding this superstition. For example, one British tale says that a prince welcomed a visiting king who stepped inside under an umbrella and died a few months later.

This sounds a bit far-fetched and we might as well believe that the superstition was only a means to prevent people from opening an umbrella inside and poking someone in the eye!

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Superstitions are not always around bad omens, some superstitions are meant to bring good luck. Crossing your fingers as you hope for something to happen is the most classic example.

And, if you pay close attention to your fingers, you might guess where it comes from. That’s right, Christians! The crossed fingers resemble a cross and that is how this good luck omen began in the first place! The gesture is not exclusively linked to Christianity today, but it’s rather interesting, isn’t it?

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This one is not meant to attract good luck but to protect your luck from going South. It is so popular and so fixated in some communities that only saying it is enough to make it work.

Where does it come from? Well, there is no certainty about its origins. Although, many seem to believe it is connected to the belief that spirits reside in trees. So, rather than providing anything for you, the action’s purpose is to avoid annoying any spirits that can turn against you!

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Again, only the word "wishbone" is proof enough that some superstitions are almost inherent in our culture. After all, haven’t we all made a wish on a wishbone during Thanksgiving?

That's the tradition, and it dates back a long way! The legend says that Romans, who used to fight over wishbones and often broke them, considered it good luck when they got the larger part, as it was believed to make a wish come true.

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The origins behind this superstition might make you think differently of mirrors. Legend has it that mirrors hold the souls of every person who has ever been reflected in them. This belief led people to think that, if a mirror breaks, all those souls contained would break free and wander around, hence anyone responsible for breaking a mirror would be cursed with seven years of bad luck!

Why seven? There is no definitive reason for that, but seven, much like number thirteen, has always been considered eerie and a bad luck omen.

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When it comes to unlucky numbers, we should also mention number three. This number is so unlucky that most people believe that if two things go wrong, there is a third one coming their way.

This is a superstition, but there is some science behind it. When we know bad things are happening to us, our brains tend to seek out evidence that reinforces this belief. So, part superstition, part neuroscience, this is one to look out for!

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Good luck omens take all kinds of forms, after all, we need all the protection we can get, even if it makes no sense: Like keeping a rabbit’s foot in your pocket.

Now, amulets like this one are as old as time, and this one in particular is believed to come from African American folk magic, although it was a very common talisman during the early twentieth century. We don’t know if it works, maybe it’s worth the try, isn’t it?

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If these poor animals hadn’t had enough, Poe wrote a short story that didn’t help their case! For the most part, cats are some of the most beloved pets, they keep you company and warm. We’ve got Egypt to thank for our obsession with cats.

But black cats are a bit different. Why is that? They are closely associated with witches; it was believed they were not so much animals as people who transformed into them. Poor witches, maybe they just wanted some company too!

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To finish our article on superstitions, we’ll mention one that is believed to bring good luck: If you find a penny on the floor, pick it up and keep it! Dirty as a penny can be, especially if you find it in the street, they are considered to be a good luck omen. More specifically, finding a penny is believed to attract more money.

There is even a rhyme that goes: "See a pin and pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you'll have all the day." So if you see a penny… It can’t harm, can’t it?