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.

It was Edison who said ‘1% inspiration, 99% perspiration’. That may have been true a hundred years ago. These days it's ‘0.01% inspiration, 99.99% perspiration’, and the inspiration is the easy part. -- Linux Torvalds

All problems in computer science can be solved by another level of indirection. -- Butler Lampson

Simplicity takes effort-- genius, even. -- Paul Graham

Simple things should be simple. Complex things should be possible. -- Alan Kay

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. -- John Lennon

Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. –Babe Ruth

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. ~Maya Angelou

As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. ~Bill Gates

The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. –Ayn Rand