Foreign Friday

Statue of Confucius
Tiger Balm Garden
Singapore
December 1979
Tiger Balm Garden was basically a site with statues and dioramas advertising Tiger Balm. You can read the history of the garden here.

Many people make jokes about Confucius, but he was a wise man. Some of his thoughts and observations about life:

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

"Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure."

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps."


Comments

  1. Wise words indeed! I may take those last ones to heart and use them in some upcoming workshops. Thanks for today's smile.

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  2. Nancy
    My dear friend karen says I can complicate anything! I think it has to do with 30 years in NICU where everything means something and is complicated! Must learn to undo this!

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  3. That's an interesting statue of Confucius and very colorful too. I like all the quotes you included in this post...such wise words to live by.

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  4. I've heard a lot of those sayings but didn't know they were from Confucius.

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  5. Interesting theme for a garden, but Confucius was definitely wise.

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  6. I remember being surprised how much I enjoyed studying Confucius in my Asian Humanities class. That was a long time ago ...

    This is me: "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." I have to remind myself not to make it complicated. I set my own bear traps, and I can be such a bear at times. sigh.

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  7. It's such simple wisdom. I really like the vibrant colors of the statue.

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  8. I can just imagine a quilt made with the vibrant colors of this statue. Do you know what Tiger Balm was/is used for? I have a jar of it and haven't really used it for much.

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