Every man prefers belief to the exercise of judgment. -- Seneca

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.

Linux is only free if your time has no value. -- Jamie Zawinski

Remember: you are alone. Every time you can get help from someone, it is an opportunity: you should eagerly size it. But then, promptly return to normal mode: you are alone and you must be prepared to solve every problem yourself. -- Eric KEDJI

We really have to get over the idea that some stuff is just worth knowing even if you never do anything with it. Human memories happily erase stuff that has no purpose, so why try to fill up children's heads with such stuff? -- Roger Schank, Engines for Education

You can’t get to version 500 if you don’t start with a version 1. -- BetterExplained.com

Dream big and dare to fail. –Norman Vaughan

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. –Chinese Proverb

We become what we think about most of the time, and that’s the strangest secret. ~Earl Nightingale

If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money. –Abigail Van Buren