Traditional Quotes

“Just because something is traditional is no reason to do it, of course. Piracy, for example, is a tradition that has been carried on for hundreds of years, but that doesn't mean we should all attack ships and steal their gold.”
― Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid

“The conservatives are fools: They whine about the decay of traditional values, yet they enthusiastically support technological progress and economic growth. Apparently it never occurs to them that you can't make rapid, drastic changes in the technology and the economy of a society without causing rapid changes in all other aspects of the society as well, and that such rapid changes inevitably break down traditional values.”
― Theodore J. Kaczynski, Industrial Society and Its Future

“Relatedness and interaction between individuals may have lost their drive and liability. In our contemporary “brave new world", traditional trust or generous receptiveness has been replaced by ‘security devices’ and ‘safety gadgets’. (“Could we leave the door unlocked?”)”
― Erik Pevernagie

“If we are really ready for thinking, not the traditional, conventional, rehashed thinking, but the exploratory and adventurous thinking, we can move forward and discover the astounding appeal of new mind-blowing visions. ( "Ready-to-wear thinking")”
― Erik Pevernagie

“I always encourage them to practice in a way that will help them go back to their own tradition and get re-rooted. If they succeed at at becoming reintegrated, they will be an important instrument in transforming and renewing their tradition.
...
When we respect our blood ancestors and our spiritual ancestors, we feel rooted. If we find ways to cherish and develop our spiritual heritage, we will avoid the kind of alienation that is destroying society, and we will become whole again. ... Learning to touch deeply the jewels of our own tradition will allow us to understand and appreciate the values of other traditions, and this will benefit everyone.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ

“If you didn't pay attention to the buoys and markers, you'd hit something.  Not enough people paid attention.  Our marinas were swamped with repairs.”
― Albert Waitt, The Ruins of Woodman's Village

“Gentlemen, how did the Tariq’Allah find out about the weapon? Was it from sources in the United States or Iraq?”
― Karl Braungart, Triple Deception

“If you want to debate the morality of war versus terrorism, let’s start with how these conflicts begin.”
― Jeffrey S. Stephens, Enemies Among Us

“The Gingerbread House has four walls, a roof, a door, a window, and a chimney. It is decorated with many sweet culinary delights on the outside.

But on the inside there is nothing—only the bare gingerbread walls.

It is not a real house—not until you decide to add a Gingerbread Room.

That’s when the stories can move in.

They will stay in residence for as long as you abstain from taking the first gingerbread bite.”
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

“Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day,
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.”
― Anonymous

“For anyone who understood the essence of modernism based on and originating in the secularizing and humanistic tendencies of the European Renaissance, it was easy to detect the confrontation that was already taking place between traditional and modern elements in the Islamic world.”
― Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islam in the Modern World: Challenged by the West, Threatened by Fundamentalism, Keeping Faith with Tradition

“Tea first came to Japan in the sixth century by way of Japanese Buddhist monks, scholars, warriors, and merchants who traveled to China and brought back tea pressed into bricks. It was not until 1911, during the Song dynasty, that the Japanese Buddhist priest Eisai (also known as Yosai) carried home from China fine-quality tea seeds and the method for making matcha (powdered green tea). The tea seeds were cultivated on the grounds of several Kyoto temples and later in such areas as the Uji district just south of Kyoto.
Following the Chinese traditional method, Japanese Zen monks would steam, dry, then grind the tiny green tea leaves into a fine powder and whip it with a bamboo whisk in boiling water to create a thick medicinal drink to stimulate the senses during long periods of meditation.”
― Victoria Abbott Riccardi, Untangling My Chopsticks: A Culinary Sojourn in Kyoto

“It is this simple, not everything that is old is bad, but at the same time, just because it is old and traditional, doesn't make it civilized.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Mucize Insan: When The World is Family

“I brought you a gift." In his hand is a small, yellow box of Tokyo Bananas. The cream-filled cakes are all over the airport. He offers them to me with both hands.
Bringing an omiyage is tradition. I can't refuse. I accept the box with both hands and say, "Thank you.”
― Emiko Jean, Tokyo Ever After

“Perfection is an illusion that gives us comfort, hence we try to hold on to our traditions, our culture, our orthodoxy - it's all in the attempt of self-preservation.”
― Abhijit Naskar, I Vicdansaadet Speaking: No Rest Till The World is Lifted

“Just because traditional education was a matter of routine in which the plans and programs were handed down from the past, it does not follow that progressive education is a matter of planless improvisation.”
― John Dewey, Experience and Education

“Create work that supports the meaningful life of contribution, happiness and family time that you desire. (As opposed to traditional work that may take you away from fulfillment as you convince yourself that one day you’ll get your days back. You won’t. One life.)”
― Richie Norton

“Society must shed its dead traditions, like one sheds dead skin.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Mucize Insan: When The World is Family

“Unfold your today beyond your yesterday, or else, there'll be no tomorrow, only decay.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Honor He Wrote: 100 Sonnets For Humans Not Vegetables

“Keeping knowledge from others for self-preservation is an ancient and evil practice.Truth, trust and transparency have always been the most dangerous anti-tradition.
The hardest part about innovation and change is rarely unconventional, it’s that conventional people have built walls that they protect with war-like tactics. Progress is the product of openness, not shallowness.”
― Richie Norton

“The first one is red bean rice ball. Red beans and sticky rice were often steamed together to create red bean rice on celebratory occasions. It was considered to be a feast in the olden days.
Many areas in Japan still carry on the tradition of making red bean rice whenever there is something to celebrate. In that sense, I think you can say red bean rice is deeply rooted in the Japanese soul."
"That's right. I made red bean rice along with other foods when the framework of my house was completed."
"It feels very festive for some reason."
"I like the salt and sesame seasoning on it."
"The next is a hijiki rice ball. You cook the rice together with the hijiki, thin fried tofu and carrots...
...flavor it with soy sauce and make a rice ball with it.
The hijiki rice is the typical Japanese commoners' food that mixes riches from the sea and the soil together. A rice ball made of hijiki rice is one of the original Japanese foods with a long continuing history."
"Aaah. This brings back memories."
"It makes us realize that we're Japanese. It's a flavor we must not lose."
"The last rice ball of the past is dried seaweed. Dried seaweed is one of the most familiar seaweeds to the Japanese, apart from konbu, wakame and hijiki.
And the way to fully enjoy the taste of the dried seaweed...
... is to make seaweed tsukudani and use that as the filling for the rice ball.
For the tsukudani, you simmer top-quality dried seaweed in sake and soy sauce. Once you learn its taste, you will never be satisfied with eating the dried seaweed tsukudani that's commercially available."
"It tastes nothing like that one we can buy at the market."
"It's refreshing, yet has a very strong scent of seaweed."
"It's interesting to see the difference in flavor of the tsukudani filling and the seaweed wrapping the rice ball."
"Red bean rice, hijiki rice and dried seaweed tsukudani rice balls...
These are flavors that will never fade away as long as the Japanese are around.”
― Tetsu Kariya, The Joy of Rice

“When home, I use my smart phone the same way I use a traditional corded home telephone and answering machine.”
― Steven Magee

“Sonnet 1103

Our ancestors are not the boss of us,
Life must be dictated by living conscience.
Dead people may have the right to make suggestions,
But they do not have the right to issue mandates.

Our ancestors belong in history books,
Our descendants belong in comic books.
Only we are alive to belong here and now,
Don't waste that life, submissive to books.

Too much involvement in the past cripples your present,
The same is true with too much involvement in the future.
If you are oblivious to the human condition of now and here,
Ignorance and intellect will equally end up causing disaster.

Use past and future as markers of direction,
But never as authority on living tradition.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Vande Vasudhaivam: 100 Sonnets for Our Planetary Pueblo

“Nepalese culture is traditional because most individuals prefer to spend their money on land, gold and silver savings, building structures, and consuming luxury products rather than investing in new ventures or starting their businesses.”
― Santosh Kalwar, Why Nepal Fails

“The living need no ancestral consent on how to think, feel and behave.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Either Right or Human: 300 Limericks of Inclusion

“The living need no ancestral consent
on how to think, feel and behave.
Each generation must carve their life
based on new reason of their time,
while in heart their feet are firmly rooted.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Either Right or Human: 300 Limericks of Inclusion

“So you're doing your fried chicken, Alice?"
"No, ma'am, I'm doing your fried chicken. It's time to bring back the original recipe to the Lantern," Alice said.
"I love that idea," I said.
Tradition always markets well in the South.”
― Victoria Benton Frank, My Magnolia Summer

“There's also dessert--- sorry, I mean the mizugashi course. So please take your time,' said Koishi, shrugging her shoulders.
'That's right, Koishi. There's no such thing as "dessert" in Japanese cuisine. The fruit served at the end of the meal is called mizugashi. We're not in France, after all!' said Tae, her nostrils flaring.
'Really, Tae, you never change, do you? Always fussing over the strangest things... I'm not sure it really matters,' said Nobuko, setting down her bowl.
'No, it does matter. If you mess around with language like that, it's culture that suffers. Traditional Japanese sweet dishes are in decline precisely because people insist on calling them English words like "dessert"!”
― Hisashi Kashiwai, The Kamogawa Food Detectives

“Tradition divides, tradition unites;
Choose carefully the tradition you live.
Not all traditions imposed on you are good,
You gotta use conscience to pick and mix.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Dervis Vadisi: 100 Promissory Sonnets

“To learn from yesterday is growth,
To be stuck in yesterday is decay.
To look for a better future is vision,
To be stuck there only causes dismay.

Glance at the past, aim for the future,
But keep your feet grounded in present.
Learn from history, envision the destiny,
‘N dive in today with your sweat valiant.

Memory is meant to give you ground,
Not to impede in your prosperity.
Vision is to embolden your footsteps,
Not to disconnect you from reality.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Honor He Wrote: 100 Sonnets For Humans Not Vegetables