Here’s a robust Italian man who hails from the Bronx, who does not believe in calories, and who should have been cast in The Sopranos. Were it not for his large frame, his gold chains, wristwatches, and rings would leave him perpetually hunched, crushed by all the carats. He drives Cadillacs, loves the New York Yankees, and knows every restaurateur in Bay Shore, Long Island, on a first-name basis and has attended all of their kids’ first Holy Communions. He never graduated from college nor cracked open a book, but he oozes wisdom and wit, and lives the old school way. His name is Tommie Romola, better known as Big Time Tommie.
Big Time Tommie isn’t exactly famous. He should be, though. He had roles in two unknown reality shows, Carfellas and Mama’s Boys of the Bronx, in the early 2010s, but now maintains a popular Instagram where he has frequently posted his “thought of the day” videos. I have linked to some of his finest gems below:
“Don’t let somebody dim your light just because it’s too bright for their eyes. Torch that b*tch up and let it shine. Because that’s the old school way.”
“Live the best life you can. Haters will hate always. That’s what they do. They hate. But you know what? They hate themselves. Live your life, and f*ck all the haters.”
“Sincerity is completely different than bullsh*t words. Just because people smile in your face, and tell you that you’re loyal, that don’t mean sh*t. Without actions, words are just that: bullsh*t words. Be able to read through bullsh*t, because anybody can tell you whatever they want. Like birds, they chirp. But you need to learn when to let them go.”
“Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class. Stay humble.”
“Forget about getting even with all those people that did you wrong. Get even with all those people who did you right … give back. Because there’s nothing better in life than giving back.”
And my personal favorite:
Big Time Tommie is one of those great characters you encounter who is totally street smart. He is not smart on paper because he doesn’t have to be. School was for nerds. He was a back-row kid, probably a C student – if that. But he is far smarter and wiser than most empty suits who work in corporations and run governments, or those who obsess over IQ tests and other nonsense. If you asked him to take an IQ test, he’d probably reply, “Real life isn’t an IQ test,” or, “Only nerds take IQ tests.”
I first discovered Big Time Tommie during the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, I have revisited his videos dozens of times. Anytime I need a jolt of inspiration or perspective on life, Big Time Tommie is one of several people I turn to. He’s like a modern-day Seneca, a hilarious, crass, and idiosyncratic version of the Greek Stoic whose life philosophy is actually practical, and, if practiced, makes your life so much better.
In one of his most famous quotes ever, William F. Buckley Jr. once said something to the effect of, “I am obliged to confess I should sooner live in a society governed by the first two thousand names in the Boston telephone directory than in a society governed by the two thousand faculty members of Harvard University.”
I am obliged to confess I would sooner live in a society governed by Big Time Tommie than any Democrat, Republican, Deep Stater, Ivy Leaguer, Think Tanker, Researcher, Analyst-er, Wall Streeter, Tech Bro, etc. Big Time Tommie has wisdom accrued over decades of living in reality, dealing with the texture of reality. He doesn’t live in a bubble. He doesn’t live in spreadsheets, graphs, data, or books. He lives where the action is, out in the world, in a place as unforgiving as New York City.
And that’s his secret. That’s what makes him so smart and wise. He knows the secrets of life because he has experienced them. He didn’t read books, articles, or ChatGPT summaries; he just lived.
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Great stuff. Reminds me of my favorite quote by Notre Dame's Rudy Ruettiger:
"People who will try to tear you down.... Those people, Coach, their whole goal in life is to steal your joy, to steal that feeling. You can't let them do it. ... We accomplish what we do in our lives in spite of the joy stealers. You don't let them burn you down. You burn their bulls--- for fuel."
You're 100% correct, this guy is the epitome of "street smart." I had never heard of him before, but a quick review of his wit and witticisms shows a blue collar kind of common sense that we need more of.