"When Cultures Collide" by Richard D. Lewis - take #1

Just for myself, quotes from this great book.

Truth

"For a German and a Finn, the truth is the truth. In Japan and Britain it is all right if it doesn’t rock the boat. In China there is no absolute truth. In Italy it is negotiable."

 Contract

"To a Swiss, Scandinavian, American or Brit, a contract is a formal document that has been signed and should be adhered to. Signatures give it a sense of finality. But a Japanese businessperson regards a contract as a starting document to be rewritten and modified as circumstances require. A South American sees it as an ideal that is unlikely to be achieved but that is signed to avoid argument."

 Silence

“Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know,” says an old Chinese proverb.

 Jokes

"In the United States, particularly, sarcasm, kidding and feigned indignation are regarded as factors that move the meeting along and help get more done in less time."