It's a truly amazing experience when we hear someone say something truly profound, that we know we will remember for the rest of our lives.
However, sometimes we surprise ourselves by remembering something someone once said to us that didn't have much of an impact on us when we first heard it.
Over the passage of time, however, what seemed like a truly inconsequential remark proved to have a lasting impact on us.
Sometimes forever changing the way we live our lives.
Redditor Routine-Max was curious to hear what seemingly minor things people were told that ended up being stuck in their memories forever, leading them to ask:
"What insignificant thing did someone say that stuck with you forever?"
A Healthy Perspective
"My father, who had lung cancer needed some things from the grocery store."
"Among other things, I brought him a 4 pack of razors for shaving."
"He looked at the pack and said, 'This is great, you got me a lifetime supply of razors'."
"We both laughed."
"It was true."
"Love you Dad…"- 919jd
Where There's A Will...
"I was at a small game con and my friend was filling out my stick on name badge."
"He asked me if he should use Will or William* and I said 'Will is fine' So he wrote 'Will is fine' on the badge as a joke."
"This was at a time in my life where I went though a traumatic job lose and was in a really bad place."
"I had a really good time at the con and when I got home stuck that name tag on my bathroom mirror."
"'Will is fine' became a sort of daily affirmation and genuinely helped me through the next few weeks."
"Reminded me of that day and that I have good friend and am still worthy of feeling fine."- Budobudo
Never Say Never!
"I think it’s an old quote but my stepdad told me when I was young, 'To get things you have never had, you need to do things you have never done'.”- Nunnber1
Chance Risk GIF by TLCGiphy
"...If You Don' Stop And Look Around Once In A While, You Might Miss It..."
"In HS I was complaining about how fast the year had gone by, to another friend."
"Middle-aged dude (stranger) was standing nearby and said ‘it will only get faster….'"
"I’m 50 now and I’ve thought about that comment almost daily since."
"Utter wisdom."
"I could pick him out of a lineup if given the chance today."
"That’s how clear that memory stays with me."- Jaded-Weakness-8212
It's All About Enjoying The Journey
"My father was dying of stage 4 pancreatic cancer."
"He went from 190lbs to 115lbs within months."
"One of the last conversations I had with him has been haunting me."
"I walked in his room and I asked him..."
"'How are you, dad?'"
"'Oh...just....laying here dying'"
"We both burst into tears at the same time."
"Composed ourselves."
"He paused."
"Stared off into space and said '...I had a good run'."
"That was months ago."
"I think about that every single day."- superbozo
An Eternally Open Door
"Whenever we'd leave my Grandma's, she'd always say 'you know you can always come to Grandma's house'."
"The love she had given to me is a love I'll never experience again."
"I miss her so much."- Living-Keyholder
Penguin Thank You GIF by Pudgy PenguinsGiphy
A Little Kindness...
"Was working a sales job a few years ago, and the top seller at this store was such an upstanding great guy, never pushy, always understanding, even in his personal life he was genuinely just a fantastic person."
"While training me, he dealt with an extremely rude customer, but handled it like a champ."
"After they left I asked why he put up with treatment like that, and he said 'Always be nice to people, you may be the only kindness they see' and it will never leave my mind."- koltyn_d
Why One Should Always Lead By Example
"Cousin told me he didn't have one bad memory of me and always wanted to be like me when he was younger."
"Which hit hard as sh*t as I was always trying to be like him when I was younger."- Spiritual_Gate_9061
It's All Relative...
“'Is it important?'”
"'It’s as important as you want it to be'.”
"It’s helped me gain perspective on a lot of things."- darkhelmet41290
Ben Affleck GIF by Amazon Prime VideoGiphy
Everyone's A Critic... Even If They Shouldn't Be...
"Never take criticism from someone you would never go to for advice."- Bikes-Bass-Beer
A Universal Rite Of Passage No One Looks Forward To
"When my dad was dying of cancer, I was visiting him in the hospital, and we were talking about how his cell phone was acting up."
"He was saying how there is no point in getting a new one anyway and how he will never get a new car again and other 'new' things again and then just kinda paused with tears in his eyes and said 'I don't want to die, y'know' before changing the subject to something more positive."
"He was so strong through all of it but seeing the facade crack for a second there put a weight in my chest I've never felt before and probably won't again."- guitargeneration
A True Friend Is A Lifelong Friend
"One of my friends at the time who I held so closely to my heart said 'See you only see yourself when you walk past your reflections in store windows and car doors, how lucky am I to get to look at you whenever I want'."
"We haven't spoken in 2 years, but I think about that every time I feel bad about myself."- Neither-Wishbone-324
sad emma stone GIF by La La LandGiphy
Encouragement Is The Key To Improvement
"When my dad was teaching me to drive, I pulled up too quickly to a stop sign and stomped on the brakes, bringing us to an abrupt stop at just the last possible moment."
"My dad calmly turned to me and said, 'You sure do trust this car'."
"I don’t think he intended it as anything but a comment on my burgeoning driving skills, but I’ve had that phrase pop into my head often since that day, whenever I find myself making plans that count on things I can’t control."
"I hope he knows that he’s saved me from heartache and headache a thousand times over, but also…"
"Sometimes, you just gotta’ trust the car."- Mr_Nex
The Innocence Of A Child...
"I’m Chinese."
"I stayed in NYC for an internship."
"I was in line to order a pizza at a Washington Heights neighborhood."
"This 5 year old kid asked me 'Do you know Kung Fu?'"
"'His dad had this 'oh sh*t! My son said something racist!'” look."
"I found it so funny that I immediately was smiling. It broke the tension."
"The lil’ dude was so cute."
"I remembered him sitting by the window and he knocked to wave goodbye."- jvincentsong
One Is Often More Than Enough
"I had bought a very distinctive looking fancy shirt."
"I liked it, but knew it was unusual and would turn heads."
"Nordic runes all over it, with deep greens and blacks in color."
"I was nervous when I first wore it out."
"I was meeting friends from work for a gig, and it was the first non-work related event I was meeting people at that were from work."
"On the bus into the city center, I was standing, waiting to get off, and I felt a tug on the shirt."
"I ignored it thinking someone caught it by accident, but then I felt a second tug and looked down at the seat beside me."
"There sat an older woman, probably in her 70s maybe 80s, she was slight with short grey hair."
"She gave off good grandmother vibes."
"She just smiled at me and said:"
"'I love your shirt'."
"That kindness gave me such a boost that I bought two more similarly styled shirts the next day."- DTMN13
hey arnold nicksplat GIFGiphy
It's easy to brush off or ignore things people tell you, be they a total stranger or your nearest and dearest.
But when in doubt, the greatest and kindest thing anyone can do is listen to the people who are talking to you.
As deep down, there is always a lesson to be learned.