Nobody ever got shit to stick to a wall without first getting their hands a little dirty. And nobody ever got their hands dirty doing this without first giving a shit.
“Throwing shit at a wall until it sticks” is a common Australian saying that means if you try to attack a problem long enough and with enough varied methods, then eventually, you must make some progress.
Not everyone can be as lucky as Gary Dahl and his Pet Rock.
His idea for the Pet Rock came to him in a bar while he was listening to friends complain about their pets. Dahl joked that he had a pet that required no care or attention because it was a rock. The rock would not need to be fed, walked, bathed, or groomed, and it would not die, become sick, or be disobedient.
Dahl, an American businessman and advertising director, created the collectible toy Pet Rock in the mid-1970s. The Pet Rock was a smooth stone from Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico. Each rock came on a bed of straw with a carrying case and an instruction manual. The Pet Rock retailed for $3.95 and made Dahl a millionaire.
For the rest of us, sometimes that means that we first gotta give a shit and be willing to get our hands a little dirty.
-Michael J. Loomis