Intercultural Exchange Quotes

“Interacting with someone who is unlike yourself is like looking into a mirror, and it suddenly makes you aware of your own assumptions and attitudes.”
― Cristina Ho, Discover Cultural Intelligence: Your New Superpower

“Differences become reasons for celebration, not fear.”
― Cristina Ho , Discover Cultural Intelligence: Your New Superpower

“Consider different viewpoints and you will discover endless ways of doing things.”
― Cristina Ho, Discover Cultural Intelligence: Your New Superpower

“Every human greeting is an act of peace.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Mukemmel Musalman: Kafir Biraz, Peygamber Biraz

“Neighborhood Humanitarian (The Sonnet)

They ask me, why do I never run out of ideas!
It is because I never dwell in one culture.
Sometimes I'm North American, sometimes Latino,
Sometimes I'm South Indian, sometimes I am Turk.
When I run low on charge, I listen to Español,
When my sight gets foggy, I watch Cary Grant.
Whenever I feel homesick, I listen to some Telugu,
Whenever my heart bleeds, I run straight to Turkey.
It is sort of a perpetual motion engine,
I empower the cultures, the cultures empower me.
If I am the world's not-so-secret hometown human,
The world is my secret to my infinite electricity.
How, do you think, I became the neighborhood
humanitarian to every single person on earth!
It's because I never glorified one culture over another.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Himalayan Sonneteer: 100 Sonnets of Unsubmission

“Culture integrated is culture empowered.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Amantes Assemble: 100 Sonnets of Servant Sultans

“Every atom of planet earth is teeming with potential, yet most see nothing beyond the rim of their culture.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Amantes Assemble: 100 Sonnets of Servant Sultans

“Wipe out America, you wipe out innovation.
Wipe out India, you wipe out spirituality.
Wipe out Latin America, you wipe out liberty.
Wipe out Turkiye, you wipe out poetry.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşk Mafia: Armor of The World

“Hometown Human Sonnet

Everybody loves Rumi,
I learnt his tongue,
So I could pick up where he left off.
Better than basking in borrowed light,
Is to be an original light to the world.

Everybody yells, viva la libertad,
I learnt el idioma, so I could
humanize the paradigm of revolution.
Everybody loves Indus valley diversity,
Annitiki munde anni shaashtralu nerchkunnanu,
So I'm never out of spice for my humanitarianism.

Everybody loves boasting about their culture,
I spent years making all the cultures my own.
Thus my strength was amplified a thousand folds,
My sight expanded beyond all norms of vision known.

Polyglots have more fun - there is no question.
When science, poetry and polyglottery come together,
That's the beginning of a paradigm bending revolution.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Vande Vasudhaivam: 100 Sonnets for Our Planetary Pueblo

“English is my second language,
My first language is love.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Visvavictor: Kanima Akiyor Kainat

“The best reason for exposing oneself to foreign ways is to generate a sense of vitality and
awareness – an interest in life which can come only when one lives through the shock of
contrast and difference.”
― Edward T. Hall, The Silent Language