Welcome to day 29 of the Empowering Young Entrepreneurs Series. I ran across these 20 ancient quotes from several different cultures that I believe are worth pondering. They are all related to the entrepreneurial mindset and include thoughts about integrity, responsibility, failure, attitude and more.
Which one speaks to you the most? Is there one over all the others that you needed to be reminded of right now? Or one that you find inspirational or motivational?
1. “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” Chinese Proverb
2. “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” Japanese Proverb
3. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” Chinese Proverb
4. “A bad workman blames his tools.” Chinese Proverb
5. “A fall into a ditch makes you wiser.” Chinese Proverb
6. “Defeat isn’t bitter if you don’t swallow it.” Chinese Proverb
7. “The diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials.” Chinese Proverb
8. “A jade stone is useless before it is processed; a man is good-for-nothing until he is educated.” Chinese Proverb
9. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Chinese Proverb
10. “The loftiest towers rise from the ground.” Chinese Proverb
11. “Building a castle is difficult. Defending and maintaining it is harder still.” Asian Proverb
12. “A person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the man doing it.” Chinese Proverb
13. “All cats love fish but fear to wet their paws.” Chinese Proverb
14. “Don’t stand by the water and long for fish; go home and weave a net.” Chinese Proverb
15. “Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength.” Hasidic Proverb
16. “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Chinese Proverb
17. “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.” Chinese Proverb
18. “Make happy those who are near and those who are far will come.” Chinese Proverb
19. “Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.” Chinese Proverb
20. “Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Confucius