Today was a super cool day for me. I met my Russian business partner Nick Mikhailovsky, CEO of NTR Lab, for the first time, although we’ve worked together for a decade.
So when I started thinking about today’s quotes Russia was on my mind. And when I think of Russia I think of proverbs.
I find proverbs to be fascinating proof that no matter the color, culture or time there really is only one race on this planet—human.
The basic concepts of human action and interaction span the globe. In fact, I’ll bet that your culture has a saying that embodies the same …read more

Based on reader reactions, last week’s wisdom quotes were a hit; as promised, here are the rest.
There are many wise words attributed to Chinese Proverbs and these certainly qualify, “A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion.” These days, public opinion vies with “leaders” for the same followers—those who don’t want to bother thinking for themselves.
Bill Cosby has the right response to that, “A word to the wise ain’t necessary, it’s the stupid ones who need the advice.” Of course, they don’t listen, but that never stopped anyone from trying.
Following Gandhi’s teaching is a good …read more

I think the greatest compliment anyone can receive is to have something they say be deemed ‘wise’ by those around them. It has happened to me a few times and, to be honest, blew me away.
So I went looking for quotes about wisdom and found so many good ones that I’ll post the rest next week.
The thing about wisdom is that it transcends street smarts and learning. As Sandra Carey says, “Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life.”
Wisdom, like charity, begins at home; Gian Carlo Menotti put it …read more

I came across a neat little book of quotes today and thought I’d share some of them with you. Each quote is actually a postcard, but there’s no way I’ll ever tear the book apart and mail them.
A few I chose are fairly well-known, such as Eleanor Roosevelt’s comment, “Remember, no-one can make you feel inferior without your consent” and I’ll add that you should retract it every time you notice you did it.
Jane Austen said, “Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery;” good advice, but we all have negative times in our lives.
When you do, remember Katherine Mansfield, …read more

When it comes to eloquent proverbs filled with insightful wisdom nobody comes anywhere near the Chinese, not in more than 4000 years.
This is especially true when it comes to learning.
Think about it, is there any question what is meant by “A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood” or any doubt about the truth of it?
Anyone who has ever expended effort in imparting their knowledge to another knows the truth of this saying, “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.”
Not just teachers, but every trainer worth their salt will agree with this …read more

After considering my recent views on compost as it applies to leadership and culture I want to add another for you to ponder this weekend.
It’s extremely short and I hope you will add your thoughts to my idea.
Life is compost.
You are the composting machine.
From birth to death a myriad of learning and experiences come your way.
The end result is a rich mixture of ideas, attitudes and actions and even a bit of wisdom if the worms and bacteria are especially effective.
Your comments—priceless
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Image credit: Bruce McAdam on Wikipedia Commons

It seems to me that more people spend less time thinking then at any previous time in history.
They’re more interested in Michael Jackson’s estate than their state’s budget problems; they choose for whom to vote based on attractiveness and clothes; social media fills all their time with thousands of friends to whom they tweet, but don’t talk…
“Language is a wonderful thing. It can be used to express thoughts, to conceal thoughts, but more often, to replace thinking.” –Anon
Then there are those who treat thought and action like marriage and kids—they no longer know which comes first or that they should …read more

See how what one says and others hear may have nothing to do with each other.
Your comments—priceless
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Image credit: Nick J Webb on flickr

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: zacchaeus
This week we’re supposed to write about “your business epiphany – what one moment influenced your career or business more than any other?”
Epiphanies are funny things. What we think is an epiphany (AKA, an ah-ha!! moment) when it happens may become more mundane in 20/20 hindsight, whereas a passing thought becomes monumental wisdom in that same hindsight.
What epiphanies I can identify fall in the second category.
Here is the one that’s had the greatest impact on me, because it stopped my laying all those coulda/shoulda/woulda trips on myself.
Don’t judge who you were and what you …read more