Mottoes are a necessary tool to keep people fixed in a state of happiness, to give them a moral guideline and make them feel there is a form of order in an otherwise messy world. A couple of cool and catchy slogans can go a long way.
This year has seen a large number of cool dictums. If I had to choose, however, these three will definitely end up among the top 10 quotes of the year.
"You can think, but don't express your thoughts.''
The thoughtful utterance by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon is heart-warming. In saying so, the general who once served as an army chief and is widely said to have a great deal of influence over the military regime seems to reassure the general public that thinking is not a crime.
What a fair-minded leader Gen Prawit is. Even Lord Buddha once emphasised that people must beware of their thoughts as they become their words and actions. The deputy prime minister must realise he has conceded some ground in allowing people to continue using their brain, albeit in private. At some point, the compromise could cost the military regime its stability.
It's the thought of idealistic heroism displayed by the Hunger Games character Katniss Everdeen — her spirit of defiance and yearning for freedom from oppression — that gave rise to the three-finger protest in the country.
It's the thought that there could be no real reform without participation from a majority of people in the process that prompted hundreds to come out and demand that martial law be lifted.
It's the thought that it made no sense for people to be barred from criticising the government or the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). By only granting people artificial freedom and allowing them to say only things the authorities want us to say has driven students and activists on in their anti-coup activities.
The population should be grateful to Gen Prawit for the audacity he showed in expressing his unusual logic regarding freedom of thought and expression. It's a mockery of democracy, we know and he knows. The charade will keep people thinking and the criticism, sarcasm and witticism will keep on flowing even if it may not be seen or heard publicly. That is a good thought.
"I will arrest you, no matter how big you are.''
The bold announcement, imbued with an air of fearlessness and nobility, was made by national police chief Pol Gen Somyot Pumpunmuang.
It's one of those sayings that makes your hair stand on end. Pol Gen Somyot made the statement after the arrest of former Central Investigation Bureau chief Pongpat Chayapan and his network for alleged criminal activities worth billions of baht.
The most common reaction to the brave words, pronounced against a background of polls and studies that point to the police force as being the most corrupt organisation in the country, is a question: "Really?''
Will the police chief really catch all the illegal Mr Bigs? Will we get to see all the big pieces in the Pongpat case as questions linger about the quick cremation of an alleged conspirator, Pol Col Akkharawut Limrat, former chief of the Crime Suppression Division's Sub-division 1, who plunged to his death in an apparent suicide?
Still, the police chief's statement is no doubt a feel-good slogan that will create a warm, fuzzy feeling toward the police force as it tries to clean up its own backyard.
"What do you want from me? I have just returned from meetings, exhausted and sleepless. Why don't you ask whether I am tired instead of going on about the election and constitution?''
There have been many responses to this outburst by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha after he arrived home from a trip to Vietnam last Sunday. My favourite is one from an anonymous social media feed.
"PM Prayut may have confused something. People in the country or reporters are not your wife. They have to ask you about the country's affairs, not about how are you feeling.''
I think the statement by PM Prayut is memorable because it is characteristic of the regime leader. Here is a man who believes wholeheartedly that he is doing good things for the country at a cost to himself and his family. He simply wants people to like him, to adore him for his selfless act.
And it must have puzzled PM Prayut to be greeted by people who don't see what he is doing the same way he does.
Atiya Achakulwisut is a contributing editor, Bangkok Post.