From pithy sayings to self-help books, from village gossips to Dear Abby, human history is packed with people who know how live your life far better than you ever possibly could.
For today's Tuesday Trivia, share a piece of advice that circulated in your area of interest, like a proverb, or talk about the ways that people gave advice.
Next Week: Natural disasters!
The hadith contain an enormous amount of advice from the prophet Muhammad, more so than could of course possibly be contained in a Tuesday Trivia post, so how about some arbitrary ones that I find amusing?
Proving that "he who smelt it, dealt it" since the 7th century.
Fashion periodicals, from their emergence in the late 18th century, are basically created on the premise of offering advice on what to wear to be au courant even if they don't overtly say it. However, texts that give explicit "if/then"-style advice for dressing with regard to one's coloring, height, etc. etc. or how to dress for various social occasions don't really happen until the etiquette-book boom of the mid-19th century.
For instance, Florence Hartley's 1872 The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness notes that
"A lady is never so well dressed as when you cannot remember what she wears." No truer remark than the above was ever made. Such an effect can only be produced where every part of the dress harmonizes entirely with the other parts, where each color or shade suits the wearer's style completely, and where there is perfect neatness in each detail. One glaring color, or conspicuous article, would entirely mar the beauty of such a dress. It is, unfortunately, too much the custom in America to wear any article, or shape in make, that is fashionable, without any regard to the style of the person purchasing goods. If it is the fashion, it must be worn, though it may greatly exaggerate a slight personal defect, or conceal or mar what would otherwise be a beauty. It requires the exercise of some judgment to decide how far an individual may follow the dictates of fashion in order to avoid the appearance of eccentricity, and yet wear what is peculiarly becoming to her own face or figure.
Hartley recommends neatness over extravagance, if you have to choose - better to wear coarse material that is clean and pressed than dirty, rumpled lace and silk; keep furs in their boxes, and fold shawls the way they came to you. She reminds the reader that overdressing for casual occasions is just as bad as underdressing for formal ones, and that every piece of the ensemble should be roughly the same level of dearness (ie, don't put expensive lace on your cheap dress, the dress will just look cheaper). One should avoid being a slave to fashion, but also not look odd or eccentric by refusing to follow it at all. She points out that fit is important - a calico dress that fits well is more impressive than a silk one with wrinkles everywhere - and that you need to spend to get good materials rather than buy crap just because it's cheap (a piece of advice that you'll find today in any piece on fast fashion).
All of this general advice is followed by specific notes on what to wear for morning dress for breakfast (a wrapper) and for seeing morning^1 callers (a neat dress with embroidered collar and cuffs, no cap), for evening^1 dress at home (if you expect no callers, the previous is fine; if guests will be there, something nicer and in "lighter material"), for walking, traveling, marketing, paying bridal calls, going to evening social engagements, mourning ...
Life is rather depressing because pain & ennui outweigh pleasure; but the pleasure exists, none the less, & can be enjoyed now & then while it lasts. [...] Uniform melancholy is as illogical as uniform cheer.
People bring about their own undoing through their tongues.
A bit late but this quote from the so-called "Instructions of Ptah-Hotep" is oddly suitable to /r/AskHistorians
If thou wouldest be a wise man, and one sitting in council with his overlord, apply thine heart unto perfection. Silence is more profitable unto thee than abundance of speech. Consider how thou may be opposed by an expert that speaketh in council. It is a foolish thing to speak on every kind of work, for he that disputeth thy words shall put them unto proof.