Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group from another.
Interpretation
Culture shapes how groups of people think and behave, differentiating them from others.
This quote by Geert Hofstede highlights the concept that culture is not merely a collection of customs and beliefs; rather, it is a systematic framework that influences the thought patterns and behaviors of individuals within a group. It emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural differences and how they shape group identity and human interactions.
In practice
A speaker at a diversity seminar discussing the importance of cultural understanding.
Suns are extinguished or become corrupted, planets perish and scatter across the wastes of the sky; other suns are kindled, new planets formed to make their revolutions or describe new orbits, and man, an infinitely minute part of a globe which itself is only an imperceptible point in the immense whole, believes that the universe is made for himself.
Often a noble face hides filthy ways.
Capitalism was the only system in history where wealth was not acquired by looting, but by production, not by force, but by trade, the only system that stood for man's right to his own mind, to his work, to his life, to his happiness, to himself.
I felt we must separate political responsibility. The Dalai Lama should not carry that burden. So that is my selfish reason - to protect the old Dalai Lama tradition. It is safer without political involvement.
We worship God through our questions.
Virtue can only flourish among equals.
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