Normality is the route to nowhere. -- Ridderstrale & Nordstorm, Funky Business

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.

I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. -- Thomas Jefferson

Talkers are no good doers. -- William Shakespeare, "Henry VI"

Normality is the route to nowhere. -- Ridderstrale & Nordstorm, Funky Business

Einstein argued that there must be simplified explanations of nature, because God is not capricious or arbitrary. -- Frederick P. Brooks, No Sliver Bullet.

Life is about making an impact, not making an income. --Kevin Kruse

You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. –Christopher Columbus

Dream big and dare to fail. –Norman Vaughan

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. –Anne Frank