The Urinary Bladder Official: The Head of Security
February 20, 2017
The Perfect Acupoint for Star Wars Characters: Episodes 4, 5, and 6
March 24, 2017
I joke a lot that I play the “translator” role in my family. I listen to each member using their words and when the other person is stuck trying to understand, I simply change the diction usage and they understand it. Each of the five elements has the language perspective they like to use. In this series I’m hoping to help elucidate this difference and hopefully help you better understand those around you.
Here’s a quick explanation of how the five constitutions will focus their language:
Water: Overriding themes that are meant to teach lessons for wisdom.
Wood: Direct arguments and trying to “win” the conversation.
Fire: People centered and fun.
Earth: Focusing on the community and people’s needs.
Metal: Flowy and poetic word usage.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
This is my favorite quote, and I was analyzing it trying to determine what element it comes from with the ultimate conclusion being that it’s all of them.
Water: It’s a great theme that anyone can listen to.
Wood: Direct.
Fire: Focused on the person.
Earth: Has world connotations, that we can be better as a community if following your lead.
Metal: “that you wish to see” is more poetic than “you want” or some other word choice.
Ultimately, a person truly in balance will resonate with all five of the elements and Gandhi was probably one of those people. Still I wanted to show different quotes focusing on “change” and how each element would say that “change happens.” One final note to remember is that all of this is subjective. You might read a quote and decide it falls into a different category. That’s the fun of it all!
Water – Overriding themes
“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” -Arnold Bennett
“Change is inevitable. Change is constant.” -Benjamin Disraeli
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” -John F. Kennedy
“It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” -W. Edwards Deming
Wood – Direct and competitive
“Your success in life isn’t based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers, and business.” -Mark Sanborn
“Change before you have to.” -Jack Welch
“If you don’t like change, you will like irrelevance even less.” -General Eric Shinseki
Fire – People centered and fun
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” -Maya Angelou
“Change is inevitable–except from a vending machine.” -Robert C. Gallagher
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways” – Michael Jackson
Earth – Community and needs
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead
Metal – Flowy and Poetic
“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.” -Harold Wilson
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” -Mother Teresa
As I did research, I found it tough to find metal and earth quotes. See what you can find! In my opinion most quotes were water based, but that makes sense as water would choose a quote to explain something to someone instead of giving direct advice, sympathy, or some other form of comfort. Let this article help you communicate better with one of your loved ones.