October 25, 2006

The Tire Store of Truth

When I ride the 31 Balboa bus home in the evenings--which I do most weekday evenings--we pass a tire store in the Tenderloin (a not-so-great neighborhood) that I've come to think of as the "tire store of truth." It's not much to look at, even for a tire store, but they have a large sign in the corner of the parking lot. Every couple of months the letters of this sign are changed to make a new quote. Most of them strike me as bizarre quotes to find in such a dismal location, but it cheers me up every time I see one.

Three of the most recent quotes:

"Show me a sane man and I'll cure him." (Carl Jung)

"Martyrdom is the only way in which a man can become famous without ability." (George Bernard Shaw)

"If we saw ourselves in others there could not be war." (Unknown)

I always wait with anticipation to find out what the next quote will be. Someday I want to jump off the bus and go inside to find the person who takes this initiative. I want to know how he/she chooses the quotes, and whether they are open to suggestions for others. I think it could be taken to a whole new level.

No comments: