The courage to face challenges

Japanese version posted on Apr. 18th

“Man cannot discover a new land unless one has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” 

-André Paul Guillaume Gide

When I informed my former boss who now is in charge of the Beijing branch about leaving the work, he sent me the quote above by the Nobel literature award recipient, André Paul Guillaume Gide (1869-1951). Words of the French writer appeared fitting to our situation, and immediately became my favorite quote. Since I enjoyed it so much, I decided to look for similar quotes in other culture, and I came across following:

You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs  

-American proverb

It is very American to state such simple message through simple food. It also is very much macaroni-western to say that tearing down is necessary in order to build something new.

Only those who have the courage to take a penalty miss them  

-Roberto Baggio

The former Italian soccer player who has won both Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year, is often regarded as one of the finest soccer player of all time. After his retirement, he is now known to have devoted himself in various famine awarenesses, including the nominated role of Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. And in 2010, he received the World Peace Award, an annual award bestowed by Nobel Peace Prize laureates. However, the most memorable moment of Baggio for the soccer fan is moment after his missed penalty shot that cost Italian team the world cup of 1994. He still was a hero.