All of our lives we've heard old sayings and folk wisdom passed down through the ages from ancient proverbs and Aesop's fables, Shakespeare and Benjamin Franklin, our mothers and self-help books. With a little tweaking, it seems as though quite a few of them have something to say about working in surgery.

• A penny for your thoughts, although most OR nurses will share those for free.
• Early to bed, early to rise, still makes me cranky.
• Life is one big experiment (and some days you feel like one big Petri dish).
• If at first you don't succeed, unplug it and start over.
• A few germs never hurt anyone — as long as we're not talking about MRSA.
• A journey of a thousand miles begins with entering a room with a surgeon you don't like.
• Music has charms to sooth the savage beast, which is why we let him pick the music and play it loud.
• Everything comes to those who wait: except when it's a dropped instrument in the flash autoclave.
• Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Give your OR staff anything, and they'll eat it in less than 10 minutes.
• A little learning is a dangerous thing, but when we're short-staffed, we'll take anyone who knows anything.
• Give assistance, not advice, in a crisis. (Remember that, supervisors.)
• An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but unfortunately not all of them.
• He that is hard to please, may get nothing in the end. But it's amazing what he'll get in return for respect.
• Fools and scissors require good handling. (You're harassing me while I'm assisting you? I've got those scissors right here.)
• Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, especially if she's a seasoned OR nurse.
• Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people abuse the privilege. (There's one in every OR.)
• It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. (How long are you going to stand there yelling at me?)
• The best cure for a short temper is a long walk (off a short loading dock).
• If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. My contract at this hospital is for at least 13 weeks: You count the days.
• A grudge is a heavy thing to carry, unless everyone on board shares it.
• When surrounded by chaos, go on break.
• A stitch in time saves nine, especially when you may have to come back and reclose.
• A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. (Thank goodness for the 3-to-11 shift.)
• Everything in moderation, unless it's a raise.
• It's always darkest before the dawn, especially when you've worked all night.
• A day is lost if one has not laughed. So lighten up already, you can't take this seriously.