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.

The purpose of abstraction is not to be vague, but to create a new semantic level in which one can be absolutely precise. -- Edsger Dijkstra

The most damaging phrase in the language is, It's always been done that way. -- Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

Acknowledging the negative doesn't mean sniveling [whining, complaining]; it means facing the truth and then moving on. -- George Leonard, Mastery.

Mistakes were made. -- Ronald Reagan

Des mots simples, quand ils sont bien utilisés, font faire à des gens ordinaires des choses extraordinaires. -- Khaled TANGAO

Trust because you are willing to accept the risk, not because it’s safe or certain. ~Anonymous

If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents- start charging for it. ~Kim Garst

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. ~Anonymous

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor. ~Truman Capote