I have a sister-in-law who used to do these, and I thought I’d give it a shot with a recent conversation with one the children.
Conversations with a teenager.
Teenager, “Dad, I need to fix my brakes.”
Dad, “Why?”
Teenager, “They are grinding.”
Dad, “Are they grinding or squeaking?”
Teenager, “Grinding, and I think we need to do front and back.”
Dad, “Why front and back?’
Teenager, “I don’t know, I just think we should.”
Dad, “That’s not how breaks work, and who is paying for it?”
Teenager, “You know I haven’t been working much. And I need it done before you leave town.”
Dad, “I leave in two days!”
Teenager, “Yeah, I know, that’s why I’m telling you now.”
Dad, “….”
In fairness, this was mentioned a few days earlier on the way to see Willie Nelson, but, in my defense, we were on the way to see Willie Nelson! The truck has new rear brakes, and it actually went very smoothly. No surprises.
As a reminder, Lunch Box Quotes are notes I include in the kids’ lunches every day. Number 1 gets a text, and 2-4 get handwritten napkins.
Visual credits to, Featured Image: @makehistorycool
Quotes: @infantrydort @CowboyGospeler @DeepPhilo_HQ @Mythos_Man @Lovandfear
Quotes:
1. “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” – Patrick Henry, 25 March, 1775
2. “You have to be a man before you can be a gentleman.” – John Wayne
3. “A calm mind sees opportunities where the anxious see threats.” – Zeno of Citium
4. “Be a lover of wisdom, a seeker of truth. Return, again and again, to what is essential and worthy.” – Epictetus
Bonus Quote: “I want to talk about everything with at least one person the way I talk about things with myself.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
Sources:
“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
-Patrick Henry, 25 March, 1775 pic.twitter.com/tTHrviHOA0
— InfantryDort (@infantrydort) April 28, 2026
You have to be a man before you can be a gentleman ⏤John Wayne pic.twitter.com/xD3a13OBvj
— Cowboy Gospeler (@CowboyGospeler) April 14, 2026
— Deep philosophy (@DeepPhilo_HQ) April 2, 2026
“Be a lover of wisdom, a seeker of truth. Return, again and again, to what is essential and worthy.”
— Epictetus pic.twitter.com/azKQHTCt2C
— Man of Myth (@Mythos_Man) April 30, 2026
“I want to talk about everything with at least one person the way I talk about things with myself.”
— Fyodor Dostoevsky pic.twitter.com/j8pDRemoie
— 🍂 (@Lovandfear) April 30, 2026
1905. Cheyenne warriors on horseback.
One of the last photographs where the old world still looks alive.
Not staged in a museum.
Not buried in a textbook.
Still riding. Still carrying the weight of a people who had seen their world changed forever.
Edward S. Curtis didn’t… pic.twitter.com/mZCNrilq9f
— Chronicles Of History (@makehistorycool) April 30, 2026