Words of Wisdom, by Folklory

Jimmy Yap reflects on rising from humble beginnings to regional leadership through hard work, honesty, and relationship-building. He shares lessons on learning on the job, earning trust, teamwork, lifelong friendships, and discovering passion by putting oneself forward and staying curious.

Five “Words of Wisdom” Quotes

1. “Whatever job you do, you have to be honest and work very hard.”
2. “You have to learn on the job.”
3. “Build personal relationships, and gain trust from your customers.”
4. “You have to be really sincere in your friendships, and you will enjoy each other’s company.”
5. “See the whole world, then you can appreciate more.”

Linda Teo reflects on growing up in a large, modest family and building a meaningful life through thrift, sincerity, and service. She shares wisdom on love, family bonding, perseverance, friendship, and choosing time, values, and contribution over material success.

Five “Words of Wisdom” Quotes

1. “You are your own brand, get noticed using your talents.”
2. “It’s not easy to reach 50 years of marriage, you need to have a lot of sacrifice and patience.”
3. “If you treat others sincerely, you will have a lot of good friends, true friends.”
4. “Action is better than lip service.”
5. “Never give up and try your very best.”

Rajalingam reflects on entering teaching out of necessity, developing passion over time, and spending forty years educating children. He emphasises respect, perseverance, genuine care for students, and choosing work aligned with values to sustain purpose and resilience.

Five “Words of Wisdom” Quotes

1. “You must be passionate about education as a career. If not, you'll be burnt out.”
2. “Back then, there was no iPhone, No TV, nothing. And we created our own distractions.”
3. “I believe in respect and giving respect.”
4. “Whatever you like, you should pursue it, and it'll become a passion.”
5. Get good jobs and be happy with whatever they are doing.”

Frances Ong reflects on teaching as a lifelong vocation shaped by faith, compassion, and service. Drawing from decades as an educator and mother of six, she shares wisdom on purpose, boundaries in love, authenticity, and nurturing others without losing oneself.

Five “Words of Wisdom” Quotes

1. “Teaching can never be a job or career, it must be a vocation to be able to last this long.”
2. “If you go in for the money, you end up having mental issues because the money is never enough.”
3. “Love is when you sacrifice yourself so that the other person can grow, but not sacrifice until you die.”
4. “You must be authentic to what you really want to do.”
5. “Don't do anything that will hurt either yourself or another person.”

Lim Hock Lay reflects on joining the police out of necessity, building lifelong bonds through service, and learning resilience, sincerity, and self-control. He shares wisdom on relationships, patience in conflict, face-to-face connection, and sustaining trust in work and love.

Five “Words of Wisdom” Quotes

1. “Be honest, sincere, friendly, never talk negatively about other people.”
2. “When things get heated up, walk away, cool down yourself.”
3. “There’s no right or wrong. You got to give way sometimes.”
4. “People can tell whether you are sincere or not.”
5. “Give it more time to understand each other before committing.”

Michael Hogan reflects on a lifelong engineering career driven by curiosity, teamwork, and respect for others’ strengths. He shares lessons on friendship, contribution, passion growing from interest, face-to-face connection, and giving back through volunteering and service to society.

Five “Words of Wisdom” Quotes

1. “The secret behind my career was taking an interest in what I was doing.”
2. “Good teams try to help out those who are not so good and move forward as a team.”
3. “I always think of it as how much I can contribute to the friendship rather than receive from the friendship.”
4. “When you pursue your interest, it will eventually become a passion.”
5. Don’t make friends on social media. Connect there, then meet and talk.”

K. T. Velu reflects on growing up with hardship, building resilience through decades in the police force, and later serving community and sport. He shares wisdom on teamwork, adaptability, lifelong learning, courage, and staying grounded while giving back to society.

Five “Words of Wisdom” Quotes

1. “Working wasn't a choice. It was something we had to do for survival.”
2. “Working in teams, coordination and so on.”
3. “The training aspect of it makes us better prepared for these kind of events.”
4. “Learning never stops, learning never ends.”
5. “Successful people must stay curious and have an open mind no matter how old they are.”

Yang Mama, 94, shares her lifelong spirit of “learning till old age,” reflecting on love, work, and friendship. She urges youth to study before romance, pursue jobs they truly enjoy, value honesty, and nurture meaningful friendships built on sincerity and shared trust.

Dennis reflects on retirement, marriage, and family, emphasising respect and intentional time with loved ones. He stresses that happiness is a choice, shaped by perspective, mindfulness, and generosity, and encourages future generations to pursue joy without causing others harm.

Five “Words of Wisdom” Quotes

1. “每一段感情, 每一种relationship, 它都是要有付出以经营的。”
   "Every romance, every relationship, needs contribution and needs to be nurtured."
2. “最重要的是互相尊重。”
   "Mutual respect is the most important."
3. “我们无论做什么样的决定, 都要去承担。”
   "Whatever we decided, we need to bear the responsibility."
4. “做你快乐的事, 不要把快乐建立在别人的痛苦上。”
   "Do what makes you happy. Don't build your happiness atop of other's suffering."
5. “其实快乐它只是一个决定, 就是这么简单。”
   "Being happy is a decision – it's that simple."

George reflects on his long career in both the Ministry of Defence and Education. He highlights the importance of adaptability, managing expectations, and understanding the evolving role of parents and teachers. His advice includes pursuing passion, embracing change, and nurturing relationships.

Five “Words of Wisdom” Quotes

1. “You have to adapt to what people expect of you. Being military when required, and approachable and flexible when necessary”
2. “You must like your job, you must enjoy it. Because once you are in, you are the one who's experiencing the ups and downs.”
3. “You will get nothing if you don't go and look for it. You have to make the move, you have to make the attempt. You cannot just sit down and wait for things to happen.”
4. “Be yourself, let the other person see who you are. If you put up a front now, once you get married and see the true colours, things might not turn out so nice.”
5. “Don’t go to the extreme and say that because life is expected to be lousy, I'm not gonna get married, I'm not going to have children.