Category Archives: Quotes

Chinese Proverbs

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Chinese Proverbs

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Lao Tzu

Chinese Proverbs are sayings which originate from famous Chinese philosophers and writers. Confucius and Lao Tzu are the most famous. there are hundreds of popular proverbs which usually give the reader an inspirational or motivational thought. They address all aspects of traditional Chinese society but are very applicable today. Here are some of my favorites.

“Dig the well before you are thirsty.”

“When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.”

“Your teacher can open the door but you must enter by yourself.”

 “He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.”

The swiftest horse can’t overtake a word once spoken*

“We count our miseries carefully, and accept our blessings without much thought.”

“If you plan for one year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees. If you plan for 100 years, educate mankind.”

 “A single conversation with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books.”

“The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.” Xun Kuang

“A bird does not sing because he has the answer to something, he sings because he has a song.”

“Pearls don’t lie on the seashore. If you want one, you must dive for it.”

“The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle.”

“An invisible silk thread connects those who are destined to meet.”

Stay safe,

JAZ

African Proverbs

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African Proverbs

“A bird in the hand was worth two in the bush, he told her, to which she retorted that a proverb was the last refuge of the mentally destitute.” W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil

Proverbs are an integral part of African culture. Passed on from generation to generation for centuries, they are still in wide use today. Proverbs are used to illustrate ideas, reinforce arguments and deliver messages of inspiration, consolation, celebration and advice. Here are some of my favorite African proverbs. There are many.

No matter how hot your anger is, it cannot cook yams.
.
The rain does not fall on one roof.

If you want to walk fast walk alone, if you want to walk far walk together.

The best way to eat an elephant in your path, is to cut him up into little pieces.

The death of an elderly man is like a burning library.

Not everyone who chases the zebra caught it but he who caught it, chased it.

Never marry a woman who has bigger feet than you.

Ears that do not listen to advice, accompany the head when it is chopped off.

If you carry the egg basket, do not dance.

Only a fool tests the river with both feet.

Teeth do not see poverty. (smile)

Rain beats the leopard’s skin but does not wash out the spots.

Don’t set sail using someone else’s star.

The child of a rat is a rat.

There are no shortcuts to the top of the palm tree.

You must attend to your business with the vendor in the market, and not to the noise of the market.

A bridge is repaired only when someone falls into the water.

He that beats the drum for the mad man to dance is no better than the mad man himself.

Wherever a man goes to dwell, his character goes with him.

Stay safe,

JAZ

Ten Hamilton Quotes

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Ten Hamilton Quotes

“ What (you might be asking) can a Broadway musical possibly add to the legacy of a Founding Father–a giant of our national life, a war hero, a scholar, a statesman? What’s one little play, or even one very big play, next to all that? 

But there is more than one way to change the world. To secure their freedom, the polyglot American colonists had to come together, and stick together, in the face of enormous adversity. To live in a new way, they first had to think and feel in a new way. It took guns and ships to win the American Revolution, but it also required pamphlets and speeches–and at least one play.” Jeremy McCarter, Hamilton -The Revolution

Watching Hamilton from my bedroom during a pandemic was very different than seeing it on Broadway.  Broadway will remain closed for the rest of the year. I can’t imagine what my mother who went to the theatre six nights a week after her kids grew up, would have done during this. She loved to be in the “room where it happened” and passed that love on to her family.  She certainly would have been enjoying all the “live theatre” on TV and would have loved this production.

 Hamilton was as innovative as it was traditional. It wasn’t a reinvention but a reminder of the character of the American people. It is a work that celebrates patriotism and diversity. Right now pride in America and optimism is at an all time low. When the world has turned upside down, you have to figure out what comes next. “Who will tell our story?”

Here are ten life quotes from Hamilton by Lin Manuel Miranda. 

“Talk less. Smile more.”

“I’m not throwing away my shot.”

“How on earth did you do that with the same 24 hours a day that everyone else gets?” 

“Legacy. What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see” 

“I’ll make the world safe and sound for you. You will come of age with our young nation. We’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll make it right for you. If we lay a strong enough foundation, we’ll pass it on to you. We’ll give the world to you.” 

“We’re immigrants. We get the job done”

“Change requires hope.” 

“We push away what we can never understand. We push away the unimaginable.”

“I stop wasting time on tears. I live another fifty years. It’s not enough!”

“You have no control. Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” 

Stay safe,

JAZ

Idioms Around The World

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Idioms Around The World

“When life gives you lemons, squeeze them in people’s eyes.” unknown

Idioms are sentences that sound ridiculous to everyone but the native speakers who use them. They are phrases that mean more than the sum of their words. Here are some of my favorites from different countries

Australia
“He’s got a kangaroo loose in the top paddock.”
He is a bit crazy.

Germany
Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. “I only understand the train station.”
I don’t know what he is talking about.

Cuba
Se formó tremendo arroz con mango! “This turned into a serious bowl of rice with mango.”
This is now a big deal.

Portugal

Quem não tem cão caça com gato. 
“He who doesn’t have a dog hunts with a cat.”
You do what you need to do, with the resources you have.

Italy
Ogni morte di papa.”Every death of a pope.”
Once in a blue moon.

France

Les carottes sont cuites “The carrots are cooked!”
The situation can’t be changed.

Norway
Å snakke rett fra leveren.“To speak directly from the liver.”
To tell it like it is.

Poland
Bułka z masłem.
 “It’s a roll with butter.”
It’s really easy.

Thailand
ชาติหน้าตอนบ่าย ๆ “One afternoon in your next reincarnation.”
It’s never gonna happen.

Russia
На воре и шапка горит.
 “The thief has a burning hat.”
He has an uneasy conscience that betrays itself.

Japan
花より団子 (hana yori dango). “Dumplings instead of flowers.”
Choose something useful over something pretty.

Sweden
Det är ingen ko på isen
.  “There’s no cow on the ice.”
There’s no need to worry.

Netherlands
Lets voor een appel en een ei kopen. 
“Buying something for an apple and an egg.”
You bought it very cheaply.

Indonesia
Kuman di seberang lautan tampak, gajah di pelupuk mata tak tampak.
“A germ across the sea can be seen, an elephant on the eyelid can not.”
You can see other people’s faults more clearly than you can see your own.

Stay safe,

JAZ

Good Quotes For The New Year

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“I never said half the crap people said I did.“Albert Einstein

1. I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.  So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make new mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever.” Neil Gaiman

2. “If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are today, what need have you for a tomorrow?”Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

3. To teach how to live without certainty, and yet without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age, can still do for those who study it.”  Bertrand Russell

4. “Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.”
Brad Paisley

5. “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” Aristotle

6. “The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.” G.K. Chesterton
7. For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice, and to make an end is to make a beginning.” T.S.Eliot

8, “I truly believe we can either see the connections, celebrate them, and express gratitude for our blessings, or we can see life as a string of coincidences that have no meaning or connection. For me, I’m going to believe in miracles, celebrate life, rejoice in the views of eternity, and hope my choices will create a positive ripple effect in the lives of others. This is my choice.” Mike Ericksen

9. “And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been, full of work that has never been done, full of tasks, claims, and demands; and let us see that we learn to take it without letting fall too much of what it has to bestow upon those who demand of it necessary, serious, and great things.” Rainer Maria Rilke

10. Honor to the earth,” the abbot said, “honor to the dead in the passing of the year; honor to the living, in the coming of the new. A Great Year passes tonight. A new one begins. Let the good that is old continue and let the rest perish…” C. J. Cherry

11. We try to help where we can, and try to survive our own trials and stresses, illnesses and elections. We work really hard at not being driven crazy by noise and speed and extremely annoying people, whose names we are too polite to mention. We try not to be tripped up by major global sadness, difficulties in our families or the death of old pets…
We work hard, we enjoy life as we can, we endure. We try to help ourselves and one another. We try to be more present and less petty. Some days go better than others. We look for solace in nature and art and maybe, if we are lucky, the quiet satisfaction of our homes…

We’re social, tribal, musical animals, walking percussion instruments. Most of us do the best we can. We show up. We strive for gratitude, and try not to be such babies.” Annie Lamott

Happy New Year and Fly Safe,

JAZ

Favorite Travel Quotes

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Favorite Travel Quotes

“A quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself, always a laborious business.”A.A.Milne

I am a quote person so I have a lot of favorite quotes – about everything. I start every day with a quote as do my friends and family on my quote list. Someone else’s words have always helped me to find my own. Here are a few of my favorite travel quotes.

“There is a time when it is necessary to abandon the used clothes, which already have the shape of our body and to forget our paths, which takes us always to the same places. This is the time to cross the river: and if we don’t dare to do it, we will have stayed, forever beneath ourselves.” Fernando Pessoa

“Walkers are ‘practitioners of the city,’ for the city is made to be walked. A city is a language, a repository of possibilities, and walking is the act of speaking that language, of selecting from those possibilities. Just as language limits what can be said, architecture limits where one can walk, but the walker invents other ways to go.” Rebecca Solnit

“I had an inheritance from my father,
It was the moon and the sun.
And though I roam all over the world,
The spending of it’s never done.”  Ernest Hemingway

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” Jack Kerouac

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Henry Miller

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”  Jawaharial Nehru

“What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” William Least Heat Moon

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” Roald Dahl

“All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and I promise you something great will come of it.” Cameron Crowe and Aline McKenna

What you’ll want a thousand years from now is this:
a memory that beats like a heart–
a travel memory, of what it was to walk here,
alive and warm and textured within.” Tara Moore

“From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!”  Dr. Seuss

“Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.” Margaret Shepherd

“Better to see something once, than to hear about it a thousand times.”Mongolian proverb

“If you smile at me, i will understand because that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language,” Crosby Stills Nash and Young

“Remember what Bilbo used to say: ‘It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”J.R.R. Tolkien

Fy Safe,
JAZ

If Your Bum Tickles It Means That You Will Soon Eat Pie and Other Superstitions From Around The World

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If Your Bum Tickles It Means That You Will  Soon Eat Pie and Other Superstitions From Around The World

“If a black cat crosses your path, it signifies that the animal is going somewhere.” Groucho Marx

Humans have always tried to explain the unknown and allay their fears. Most superstitions are based on old explanations of how things might work if we actually had control over our universe. Fear, ignorance and superstition can be very dangerous. I thought I would share some of the more milder superstitions – the kind that my grandmother brought with her from the old country.

My own personal ones include not walking under a ladder, not stepping over someone because they won’t grow (I was very short till I was about 14 so I was adamant about that one) and wearing a red bracelet or evil eye on a plane for luck. I do get queasy when a black cat crosses my path.

Clipping toenails or fingernails at night is bad luck. China

Never hand some one a knife. Set it down and let them pick it up, or else you will get into a fight with that person. Greece

It is lucky to hear a cat sneezing. Italy

If you whistle or play a flute at night, snakes will come to you. Japan

If you  spill wine on the table, it brings happiness to the whole house. Portugal

if someone passes a broom over your feet, you will never get married. For that reason, you can see many single women getting out of the way of people who are sweeping. Venezuela

If you stand between two people whose names are the same, you should wish for something because your wish will come true. Turkey

If you always put the sugar in the cup before the coffee, you’ll become rich.
 Brazil

If a single woman sits at a table in the corner, she won’t be married. Kyrgyzstan

When you move to a new house, make sure you do so on a rainy day, because it will bring you wealth. Iceland

Don’t present your mate with a pair of shoes. If you do, your boyfriend or girlfriend will leave you. Korea

If you find money, even if it’s just one cent, you’ll receive more money. If you are walking in the street and you see money, you always have to pick it up. Argentina

If you stand up and your chair falls over, you’re in for bad luck. Ireland

Hearing a cricket brings good luck. Spain

Leaving your keys on a table is bad luck. Sweden

On the first day of the month, if you say “white rabbit”, the entire month will be lucky for you. England

 Putting a loaf of bread upside down on the table, is considered bad luck. France

if your bum tickles it means that you will  soon eat pie. Belgium

It is unlucky to enter the house with the left foot forward. Austria

A broken dish brings good luck. Netherlands

If you make jokes when eating, a ghost will steal your rice, Thailand

Killing spiders is considered to bring bad luck. Whenever you see one making itself comfortable in your own house, you are supposed to take it and set it free in nature. Slovakia

If your right palm itches you’re going to spend money, but if your left palm itches you’re going to receive some money. Ukraine

One of the unluckiest things you can do, is walk between two old ladies on the road. Germany

Putting gloves on a table will bring misfortune. Latvia

If you spill your coffee it means you will receive money from somewhere. Romania.

If a bird shits on you, or if you accidentally step in shit (any old shit will do) – you’ll be (filthy) rich!  Lithuania

If a woman puts her handbag on the floor, she will have no money. Poland

Throwing a shoe over your shoulder brings luck, though not for the person who might be standing behind you. Czech Republic

Fly safe,

JAZ

“Not My Circus. Not My Monkeys.” And Other Proverbs From Around The World

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“Not My Circus. Not My Monkeys.” And Other Proverbs From Around The World

“A bird in the hand was worth two in the bush, he told her, to which she retorted that a proverb was the last refuge of the mentally destitute.” W. Somerset Maugham

Proverbs are short statements of wisdom or advice that are transmitted from generation to generation. Miguel de Cervantes would call it “a short sentence based on long experience”. I just learned that the study of proverbs is called paremiology. They make up words for anything. It is interesting how easily we relate to them no matter what country they are from. Here are some of my favorites.

Give even an onion graciously. Afghan

The one who asks
 questions doesn’t lose his way.
 African

Don’t put gold buttons on a torn coat. Albanian

The good-looking boy may be just good in the face. American Apache

The fruit of silence is tranquility. Arabian

When elephants fight, ants get killed. Cambodian

Do not remove a fly from your friend’s forehead with a hatchet. Chinese

Don’t teach your mother how to make children. Colombian

You do not  teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla. Congolese

Listen to what they say of others and you will know what they say of you. Cuban

One sprinkles the most sugar where the tart is burnt. Dutch

Use soft words and hard arguments, English 

The best brewer sometimes makes bad beer. German

The liar and the thief rejoice in their first year only.  Greek

A leaky house can fool the sun, but it can’t fool the rain. Haitian

There are hundreds of paths up the mountain, all leading to the same place, so it doesn’t matter which path you take. The only person wasting time is the one who runs around the mountain, telling everyone that his or her path is wrong.” Indian Hindu 

Mothers hold their children’s hands for just a little while… 
And their hearts forever. Irish

Since the house is on fire, let us warm ourselves. Italian 

The reverse side also has a reverse side. Japanese

I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders. Jewish 

If you kick a stone in anger, you will hurt your own foot. Korean

To bend a bamboo, start when it is a shoot. Malaysian 

He who thinks he is leading and has no one following him, is only taking a walk. Malawian

it is not enough to know how to ride, you must also know how to fall. Mexican

Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone. Moroccan

Never marry a woman who has bigger feet than you. Mozambique

Not my circus. Not my monkeys. Polish 

He need not search his pockets for words. Russian

You can out distance that which is running after you but not what is running inside you.   Rwandan 

A greedy father has thieves for children. Serbian

Never trust your friend with a secret unless he is mute or a dog. Sicilian 

More grows in the garden than the gardener has sown. Spanish

Those who wish to sing, always find a song. Swedish 

The highest art is the art of living an ordinary life in an extraordinary manner. Tibetan

Kind words take the snake out of his hole. Turkish

Heaven creates the elephant, heaven will make grass.  Viet Nam

Who throws a stone in the market will hit a relative. Yoruban 

Any more?

Fly safe,

JAZ

 

 

Some Quotes From Around the World

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Some Quotes From Around The World

“The problem with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine.” Joseph Stalin

I have collected quotes all my life – way before the internet. I had a compilation of napkins, theatre programs, index cards, ripped pieces of papers from newspapers and magazines, hotel stationery, loose-leaf paper, memo pads, notebooks and colored bits of paper – all filled with quotes I had read or heard somewhere. The internet makes it way too easy. I read a book or see a play I like and I look up quotes from the author. I pick a subject I’m interested in and find hundreds of quotes about it. I have a lot more knowledge now but every once in a while I find a folded up piece of paper in an old pair of pants or purse with a quote that touched me when I heard it.

I thought I would share some of my favorites from around the world –  especially for those of you who are not on my quote list. I hope you enjoy them. They are special to me.

“AMERICA

A bit of advice

Given to a young Native American

At the time of his initiation:

As you go the way of life,

You will see a great chasm. Jump.

It is not as wide as you think.” Joseph Campbell

AUSTRIA

“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are

princesses who are only waiting to see us act just once, with beauty and

courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence,

something helpless that needs our love.” Rainer Maria  Rilke

CHILE

“Laughter is the language of the soul.” Pablo Neruda

CHINA

“Once upon a time a man whose ax was missing suspected his neighbor’s son. The boy walked like a thief, looked like a thief, and spoke like a thief. But the next day, the man found his ax while digging in the valley and the next time he saw his neighbor’s son, he walked like a child, looked like a child, and spoke like a child.” Lao Tzu

COLOMBIA

“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.” Gabriel Garcia Marquez

CZECH REPUBLIC

“The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and human responsibility.” Vaclav Havel

ENGLAND

“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” CS Lewis

FRANCE

“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.“ Albert Camus

GERMANY

“But now, for the first time, I see you are a man like me. I thought of your hand-grenades, of your bayonet, of your rifle; now I see your wife and your face and our fellowship. Forgive me, comrade. We always see it too late. Why do they never tell us that you are poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying and the same agony–Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy?” Erich Maria Remarque

INDIA

“You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.” Mahatma Gandhi

IRAN

‘One day the sun admitted I am just a shadow.

I wish I could show you the infinite incandescence

that has cast my brilliant image.

I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness

the outstanding light of your own being,” Hafiz

IRELAND

“Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.” W. B. Yeats

ISRAEL

“Once I sat on the steps by a gate at David’s Tower in Jerusalem. I placed my two heavy baskets at my side. A group of tourists was standing around their guide and I became their target marker. “You see that man with the baskets? Just right of his head, there’s an arch from the Roman period. Just right of his head.”  I said to myself: redemption will come only if their guide tells them, “You see that arch from the Roman period? It’s not important: but next to it, left and down a bit, there sits a man who’s bought fruit and vegetables for his family.” Yehudah Amichal

ITALY

“There are three classes of people. Those who see. Those who see when shown. Those who do not see.” Leonardo Da Vinci

 JAPAN

“My barn having burned to the ground, I can now see the moon.” Masahide

NETHERLANDS

“Conscience is a man’s compass.” Vincent Van Gogh

RUSSIA

“How can you expect a man who’s warm to understand one who’s cold?’  Alexander Solzhenitsyn

SOUTH AFRICA

“As I walked out the door toward my freedom, I knew that if I did not leave all the anger, hatred and bitterness behind, that I would still be in prison”. Nelson Mandela

SPAIN

“Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking.

Traveller, the path is your tracks and nothing more.

By walking you make a path and turning, you look back

At a way you will never tread again.

Traveler, there is no road, only walks in the sea.” Antonio Machado

TIBET

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama

TURKEY

“On a day when the wind is perfect,

the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty.

Today is such a day.” Rumi

VIET NAM

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Fly safe,

JAZ