You’ve most likely been exposed to those pithy aphorisms of the ancient or Eastern sages – they’re always ancient, or Eastern, aren’t they? – and when you heard or read them, you probably found that your mind went quiet, and you felt, Yes, that’s so true. By contrast, when you are given information in the form of an academic lecture or text, your mind gets busy with thinking. Thinking leads to more thinking, and things can get quite noisy in your mind.The quietening of the mind after reading one of those aphorisms of the ancient sages happens because they deliver insights from the wisdom tradition of learning and teaching. The wisdom tradition is about seeing things as they are, without an interpretation that is based on historical, cultural, personal or intellectual bias. The maxims in this book represent my attempt to apply insights from the wisdom tradition to the modern leadership context.You can read this book in one sitting. However, you would do better to read one maxim a week—there are 52 after all—and use it to support your self-development process. You can also dip into it when you are dealing with a conundrum and need guidance—either by focusing on the problem and opening to a page as you feel guided or by using the quick reference guide at the end to select a particular theme.