In the season of new things (@school), we often become wrapped up into what is going on in our day-to-day lives. It’s easy to forget the concerns of the people around us, and it’s easy to become brash.

Words are important, people are important, and advice is important. If we have words of advice from different cultures that have stood the test of time, then that is one of our greatest treasures.

Chinese

"When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and some people build windmills."

"Pearls do not lie on the seashore, if you want one, you must dive for it."

"A man who chases two rabbits catches neither."

"Dig a well before you are thirsty."

"A tiger doesn’t lose sleep over the opinion of sheep."

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

French

"There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience."

"Wherever life plants you bloom with grace."

The Eskimo

"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in the sky where the love of our lost ones ours through and shines upon us to let us know that they are happy."

"Yesterday is ashes, tomorrow wood. Only today does the fire burn as brightly."

Haitian

"An empty sac cannot stand up."

"A stumble is not a fall."

"What you don’t know is greater than you."

"A leaky house can fool the sun, but it cannot fool the rain."

African

"The ones who love you love you with your dirt."

"The axe forgets what the tree remembers."

"When brothers fight to death, a stranger inherits the property."

"A lie has many variations. The truth, none."

Egyptian

"What you are doing does not matter so much as what you are learning from doing it."

"Each truth you learn will be, for you, as new as if it was never written."

"A beautiful thing is never perfect."

"Open your mouth only if what you are about to say is more beautiful than silence."

Irish

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything."

"Your feet will take you where your heart is."

"Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out."

"May you get all your wishes but one, so you have something to strive for."

Native American

"Certain things capture your eye, but pursue only those that capture your heart."

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children."

"We can only be what we give ourselves the power to be."

"When the sun goes down at sunset, it will take part of your life with it."