Cultural Intelligence:

World Cultures

Pearls of Wisdom and Inspiration

East & West

Compiled by Vadim Kotelnikov

 

East*

West

Life

  • Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think. ~ Jean de la Bruyere

  • Life is like an onion: you peel off layer after layer and then you find there is nothing in it.  ~ J.G. Hunekar

  • I don't want to achieve immortality through my work... I want to achieve it through not dying. ~ Woody Allen

Happiness

More about Happiness: One Way, Many Paths

  • Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

  • Always leave something to wish for; otherwise you will be miserable from your very happiness. ~ Gracian Baltasar

  • There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.  ~ William Shakespeare

Beliefs, Values

  • To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness. ~ Confucius

  • We believe in self creation. That's why Buddhists believe in the Four Noble Truths. ~ Dalai Lama

  • To achieve self-liberation and nirvana you need to perform your duties without expecting any reward for it. ~ Hinduism

  • Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. ~ Jesus Christ

  • There is no real excellence in all this world which can be separated from right living. ~ David Starr Jordan

  • Refrain from doing ill; for one all powerful reason, lest our children should copy our misdeeds. ~ Juvenal

 

Character, Personality

  • Vain indeed is all overweening pride in the conquest even of the entire universe if one has not conquered one's own passions. ~ Sri Aurobindo

  • Conduct yourself in this world, as if you are here to stay forever; prepare for eternity as if you have to die tomorrow. ~ Mohammad

  • He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them. ~ Confucius

  • We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. ~ Aristotle

  • Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones. ~ Winston Churchill

  • The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but were he stands at times of challenge and controversy. ~ Martin Luther King

Knowledge, Wisdom

  • For knowledge add a little every day, for wisdom erase a little every day. ~ Lao Tzu

  • Real knowledge is to know the extent of ones ignorance. ~ Confucius

  • We begin to ask questions, such as: "What is the purpose of life? What is my true nature? What is the source and origin of this entire creation?" When questions of this kind arise in a person's mind, his or her quest for knowledge begins. ~ Swami Tejomayananda

  • The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. ~ Socrates

  • The most important thing in terms of your circle of competence is not how large the area of it is, but how well you've defined the perimeter. ~ Warren Buffett

  • Super-competence is more objectionable than incompetence. ~ Peter's Observation, Murphy's Law

Achievement, Winning, Fulfillment

More about Winner: One Way, Many Paths

  • Though he should conquer a thousand men in the battlefield a thousand times, yet he, indeed, who would conquer himself is the noblest victor. ~ Buddha

  • He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty. ~ Lao Tzu

  • The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self. ~ Muhammad

  • He who rules his spirit has won a greater victory than the taking of a city.~ Jesus Christ

  • Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive. And don't ever apologize for anything. ~ Harry S. Truman

  • The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become. ~ Harold Taylor

 

Success, Failure

  • If you really want everything, then give up everything. ~ Lao Tzu

  • He is able who thinks he is able. ~ Buddha

  • By touching you may kill, by keeping away you may possess. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

  • The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn't like to do. ~ Thomas Edison

  • Even if at first you do succeed, you will still have to work hard to stay there. ~ Richard C. Miller

  • Fail often to succeed sooner. ~ Tom Kelley

Problem Solving

  • Desires are the cause suffering. If desire, which lies at the route of all human passion, can be removed, then passion will die out and all human suffering will be ended. ~ Buddhism

  • He who wants to do good knocks at the gate; he who loves finds the gate open. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

  • Everything will settle in its own place automatically. ~ Lao Tzu

Leadership

  • When Master rules, people cannot make note of his existence. ~ Lao Tzu

  • We have to be the change we want in the world. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

  • To govern is to be correct. If you set an example by being correct, who would dare remain incorrect? ~ Confucius

  • Leadership is done from in front. Never ask others to do what you, if challenged, would not be willing to do yourself. ~ Xenophon

  • No person can be a great leader unless he takes genuine joy in the success of those under him. ~ W.A. Nanc

  • Don't be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard. If you have a yes-man working for you, one of you is redundant. ~ Colin Powell

 

 

 

Alan Alda quotes

Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in.

Alan Alda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cultural Intelligence

The Kingdom of God

Divine Universe

Culture Quotes

World Unity in Cultural Diversity

Managing Cultural Differences

Chinese Proverbs

Russian Proverbs

Chinese vs. Americans

Japanese vs. American Firms

Joint Venture Failure Reasons

12 Tips for Global Business Travelers

The Power of Balance

Fengshui

Sri Aurobindo

Cross-Cultural Communication

One World, One Way

Colors: Some Emotions and Symbolizations They Can Cause

World Cultures, Philosophies, and Religions

Eastern vs. Western Philosophy

Integral Yoga

10-Step Guideline for Resolving Inner and Outer Conflict: a Yoga Approach

Buddhism

Buddha

Buddhism About Happiness

Dalai Lama

Happiness as the Purpose of Life

Christianity

Jesus on Love

Confucianism

Confucius

Hinduism

Bharavad Gita

Bhagavad Gita Quotes

Rama – a Hindu Symbol of Excellence in Every Pursuit

Hinduism: Gain the Highest Through Knowledge

Islam

Islamic Wisdom Quotes

Rumi on Love

Taoism

Lao Tzu

Business Plan Composed of the Quotes from Tao Te Chin

Zen

Zen Proverbs, Sayings, and Quotes

 

* Eastern philosophy is a group of philosophies and religions originating in India, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Arabic countries

 

References:

  1. The Art of Happiness, HH the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet and Howard C. Cutler