Welcome to the fourteenth issue of the Lists of Note newsletter. Each Sunday, a new (old) list.

Scottie was just 11 years old and at camp many miles away from her family when, in August 1933, she received a heartening letter of advice from home. It was written by her father, F. Scott Fitzgerald, a man responsible for penning some of the most acclaimed novels of modern times and someone for whom the art of writing letters was clearly a breeze. This particular missive contained a charming and timeless list of things for his daughter to worry/not worry about, and it read as follows.

Things to worry about:

Worry about courage
Worry about cleanliness
Worry about efficiency
Worry about horsemanship

Things not to worry about:

Don’t worry about popular opinion
Don’t worry about dolls
Don’t worry about the past
Don’t worry about the future
Don’t worry about growing up
Don’t worry about anybody getting ahead of you
Don’t worry about triumph
Don’t worry about failure unless it comes through your own fault
Don’t worry about mosquitoes
Don’t worry about flies
Don’t worry about insects in general
Don’t worry about parents
Don’t worry about boys
Don’t worry about disappointments
Don’t worry about pleasures
Don’t worry about satisfactions

Things to think about:

What am I really aiming at?
How good am I really in comparison to my contemporaries in regard to:
(A) Scholarship
(B) Do I really understand about people and am I able to get along with them?
(C) Am I trying to make my body a useful instrument or am I neglecting it?

With dearest love…

The above list can also be found in the Lists of Note book. Grab a copy here.