Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Quotes

People have to start talking to know more about other cultures and to understand each other.

National culture can act as a bridge, instead of an obstacle, to mutual spiritual and intellectual understanding.

I say the same thing that I've said for decades now, which is: don't go over to Japan trying to change it, thinking that you know better. Go there trying to understand.

Believing in each culture's right to be understood by the other party without any form of falseness or distortion is paramount.

I've traveled around the world, and what's so revealing is that, despite the differences in culture, politics, language, how people dress, there is a universal feeling that we all want the same thing. We deeply want to be respected and appreciated for our differences.

If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.

A dialogue among civilizations can be seen as a dialogue between the individual and the universal.

It's different cultures that make the world go 'round at the end of the day.

If one could only teach the English how to talk, and the Irish how to listen, society here would be quite civilized.

Moslems are not just a bunch of nuts and whackos .... these are people with whom we are simply out of touch.

If we were able to see people in other countries and learn about our differences, why would there be any misunderstandings? War would be a thing of the past.

… technologies that convene different cultures do not always help them interact peaceably.

One thing that education can do is it can provide us with an opportunity to understand one another better, and so while I've spent a lot of my time in the world of politics, I've always felt that it is really not politics that will solve this for us.

I think that's important: to know 'the other,' as a means of coming to understanding.

If Americans knew how to deal with other people, they could bring peace to the world. Alas, they have not learned enough yet. The true American feels that he is 100 percent welcome anywhere he goes.

I don't think we should do anything that should make the people hate the American people more.

My experience of living with people of diverse religions and cultures taught me that one will never be at peace with the other if one is at war with oneself.

Every relationship has its own language. It takes a long time to evolve and read one another. Just as it's true for people, it's also true on a national or cultural level.

I hope to use dialogue and culture as a means of bringing people of various cultures together, and using that as a way to resolve conflict.

The two cultures of East and West are very different, and the priorities are very different. So when you understand that - if you are from this side or this side - when you understand that the other is different than you, and you respect these differences, you can build communication.

We must develop a deeper interest and greater understanding of the people we meet here or abroad. Like us, they are passengers on board that mysterious ship called life.

Terrorists have failed to trigger mass conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims in Europe. We should draw strength from that fact.

Now it is evident that a little insight into the customs of every people is necessary to insure a kindly communication; this, joined with patience and kindness, will seldom fail with the natives of the interior.

We must all learn a good lesson - how to live together.

In such diffused changes of culture two factors are necessary: contact and understanding.