Chance favors the prepared mind. -- Louis Pasteur

What do Americans look for in a car? I've heard many answers when I've asked this question. The answers include excellent safety ratings, great gas mileage, handling, and cornering ability, among others. I don't believe any of these. That's because the first principle of the Culture Code is that the only effective way to understand what people truly mean is to ignore what they say. This is not to suggest that people intentionally lie or misrepresent themselves. What it means is that, when asked direct questions about their interests and preferences, people tend to give answers they believe the questioner wants to hear. Again, this is not because they intend to mislead. It is because people respond to these questions with their cortexes, the parts of their brains that control intelligence rather than emotion or instinct. They ponder a question, they process a question, and when they deliver an answer, it is the product of deliberation. They believe they are telling the truth. A lie detector would confirm this. In most cases, however, they aren't saying what they mean. -- The culture code.

The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public. -- Anonymous

In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? -- David (Psalm 56:4)

The greatest of all weaknesses is the fear of appearing weak. -- J. B. Bossuet, Politics from Holy Writ, 1709

I was talking recently to a friend who teaches at MIT. His field is hot now and every year he is inundated by applications from would-be graduate students. "A lot of them seem smart," he said. "What I can't tell is whether they have any kind of taste." -- Paul Graham

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, “I’m possible!” –Audrey Hepburn

Fortune sides with him who dares. ~Virgil

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. –Mark Twain

If you’re going through hell keep going. ~Winston Churchill