It is said that the real winner is the one who lives in today but able to see tomorrow. -- Juan Meng, Reviewing "The future of ideas" by Lawrence Lessig

A no uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a yes merely uttered to please or what is worse, to avoid trouble. -- Mahatma Gandhi

L’art qui satisfait le besoin le plus impérieux sera toujours le plus honoré. -- Charles Baudelaire, Conseils aux jeunes littérateurs.

1 - Creativity and innovation always build on the past. 2 - The past always tries to control the creativity that builds on it. 3 - Free societies enable the future by limiting the past. 4 - Ours is less and less a free society. -- Lawrence Lessig, Free Culture.

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.

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

Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter. ~Francis Chan

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.~ Anatole France

It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. –Abraham Lincoln

What’s the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable. ~Anonymous