002: Chinese Proverb – When The Wind Of Change Blows

“When the wind of change blows, some build walls, while others build windmills.” – Chinese Proverb

风向转变时,有人筑墙,有人造风车

This comic was drawn by Smar. You can find her other work and comics on her Tumblr blog.

There are lots of quotes out there that claim to be “Chinese proverbs”. However, many of these quotes are purposely misattributed so that people would take them “seriously.”

If the quote doesn’t come with the original text in Mandarin, then it ain’t a Chinese proverb.

As you can see from the evidence and wholesome citations I left in this comic, it really is an old Chinese saying. This surprised me when I first read the quote as it is still applicable today and will probably transcend time. When I realised this, I really wanted to show this quote in a way people could get at a deeper level.

I hope you understand and appreciate the multiple messages in this comic, as much as I did trying to fit all the elements together nicely.

If you know any classic or useful ‘old sayings’ in your mother tongue, or any language other than English, let me know in the comments below.