The International Schools Review Forum

On my first day in Sixth Form, my Maths teacher asked us to share proverbs that represented our home countries saying he did this every September to set the tone for the year. So when I became a teacher, each year I would have my homeroom class create colourful wisdom posters on A3 paper that their mums, grandparents [and Google] instilled in them. Of course, being TCK’s we muddle up our native cultures.

France: “There is no pillow so soft than a clear conscience.â€

These are personal favorite quotes of mine:

Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present. - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 A.D.)

"Many things are true, including that many people disagree on what is true" (Judge Ooka Tadasuke)

All beings tremble before danger and death, life is dear to all. When a man considers this he does not kill, or cause to kill. (Buddha)

Sorry, I can't sign this. Why you Ask? Well, because I lied for one and all the other reasons after that don't really matter.

Oh I have been such a coward, a thief of hearts one may say...

"What is Love but One Soul Inhabiting Two Bodies"

I think the best quote I ever heard (and remember) from my one of me students (she was an MYP2) was "Boys are like big rocks, you cant take them anywhere without having an explanation".

Here's a collection of quotes I keep in my FaceBook account.

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." — Albert Einstein

..."The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw

"What I found appealing in life abroad was the inevitable sense of helplessness it would inspire. Equally exciting would be the work involved in overcoming that helplessness. There would be a goal involved, and I like having goals". David Sedaris

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Voltaire (or not)

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." --E. Roosevelt

"Don't "settle" for the ordinary or "good enough" ... try to be extraordinary. Have a clear goal in mind and do everything you can to achieve it. And most important of all ... be passionate about everything you do." Little Buddha

And my personal favourite.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in his boat, avoid his wife and drink beer all day long! FISH 24:7

Thank you ever so much for these quotes which I included as writing prompts for my Sixth Form class:

@ PsyGuy
"Many things are true, including that many people disagree on what is true" (Judge Ooka Tadasuke).

@ IAMBOG - Of course, this is easier said than done... and we don't have to go very far.
"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." --E. Roosevelt

Bliblical phrase from FISH 24:7 - If you ever go to Manila, try their milkfish omelette cooked in banana leaves.

Some Welsh proverbs (translated of course!)


It's not good if you could have done better

Two-thirds of a job is just getting started

A country without a language is a country without a heart

The best weapon is the weapon of learning

The best friend is a good book

It's too late to raise your pettycoat after you've pissed

The most at fault, the first to blame

Who would be a leader, must be a bridge

A man without knowledge is a ship without an anchor

The greater his boast, the less his achievement


And one more which will stay with me as I embark on my first overseas job:

The best Welshman is a Welshman overseas!

Dear Cwlcymro --- I used Google Translate, of course, and I will include these in my lesson plan:

[quote="Cwlcymro"]Some Welsh proverbs (translated of course!)

The best weapon is the weapon of learning
"Mae'r arf gorau yw'r arf dysgu"

Who would be a leader, must be a bridge
"Pwy fyddai'n fod yn arweinydd, fod yn bont"

A man without knowledge is a ship without an anchor
"Mae dyn heb wybodaeth yn llong heb angor"

[/quote]

The following, however, could be misunderstood when taken literally and by face value:

The best Welshman is a Welshman overseas!

That's the pitfall: the nuance and deeper meaning of the above quote are lost in translation although my Welsh friends are "books" that I cherish.

Good luck to your international school adventure [luck is a factor], and I hope your new headmaster is a "bridge".

How about an Arab one?
"The son of a duck is a floater."

My favorite is an American quotation, "It is as cruel to bore a child as to beat him."

Google translate is much better than some of the old computerised translators but it struggles with the archaic form of proverbs! The original version of those three are:

A fo ben, bid bont (who would be a leader must be a bridge)

Arf gorau, arf dysg (the best weapon is the weapon of learning)

Gwr heb ddysg, llong heb angor (a man without knowledge is a ship without an anchor)

The one about the best Welshman being a Welshman overseas refers to the fact that Welsh people overseas will often be much more proud of their heritage and culture than those living at home.

[quote="anon"]How about an Arab one?
"The son of a duck is a floater."
وابن بطة هو العوام

My favorite is an American quotation, "It is as cruel to bore a child as to beat him."[/quote]

@ Anon - Thank for bringing me fond memories. My Papa worked in the Middle East back in the 80's and he used to mention this to us. As for the American quotation, I can see a few of my pupils blowing this out of proportion although I agree completely.

[quote="Cwlcymro"]The one about the best Welshman being a Welshman overseas refers to the fact that Welsh people overseas will often be much more proud of their heritage and culture than those living at home.[/quote]

@ Cwlcymro - Thank you for clarifying the above. Three of my students picked this prompt [I replaced "Welsh" with _____ and the issue of brain drain as well as "unspoken pride while at home came up."

Here are some I like.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. (Native American proverb)

Only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money. (Cree Indian proverb)

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter. (Martin Luther King)

Until man duplicates a blade of grass, nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge. (Thomas Edison)

Jamaican proverbs

Puss an' dawg nuh 'ave di same luck.
(Cats and dogs don't have the same luck.)

If yuh want good, your nose affi run.
(If you want good in life, you have to go through hard times.)

Dose who cya'an dance blame it pon the music.
(pon means on)

Duppy know who fi frighten.
(A duppy is like a ghost or a bogey man. It like saying a bully will target certain people.)

Eat wid the devil but give 'im long spoon.

Di higher de monkey climb, di more 'im expose.
(The higher the positions you take up in life the more you will be scrutinized.)

Sorry for maga dog, 'im tun 'round and bite you.
(Maga means skinny.)

[quote="sangster2"]
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. (Native American proverb)

Eat wid the devil but give 'im long spoon. (Jamaican proverb)
[/quote]

@ sangster - These two quotes spoke to me [with their double meanings]. I read once a Native American proverb etched in a plaque but I couldn't recall the tribe:

"When you speak, make sure that the words that come out of your mouth are sweet. Someday, someone will make you eat them."

No worries mate, your words are like rhubard crumble. As for Jamaica, their "grooviest" song at the time we visited was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IShrytb1UZE