Every culture has its proverbs and old sayings that help establish the ground rules for societal behavior. China, being the oldest consistent culture on Earth is no different. There are many ancient Chinese proverbs that we share in English today. Whether they coincidentally appeared in multiple cultures or have spawned from a single source is debatable, but we can agree that wisdom can be found in the ways of old. We live in a super-paced coffee-driven society where it isn’t easy to take time and reflect on life itself or the things we have been given and that is all too sad. I’ve put together some quotes and proverbs from ancient China that I think help us to remember to be grateful and also prepare us for things to come.

风向转变时,有人筑墙,有人造风车

Fēng xiàng zhuàn biàn shí, yǒu rén zhú qiáng, yǒu rén zào fēng chē.

The translation means “When the wind of change blows, some build walls, while others build windmills.” I guess we can can say this, in a way,resembles “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” When things don’t go your way, you can either try and fight it, or use it to your own advantage. Are you a wall-builder or a windmill-builder?

There is another that I once found while reading “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” and was spoken by Kong Ming. It is neither a life-lesson nor words to live by, but I’ve always connected with it personally as an amiable fellow myself.

“Let the seats be filled with friendsand the cups be filled with wine. That is what I like.”