Wisdom • Science • Technology • Life

Ideas are meant
to multiply.

Welcome to the wisdom and sayings of Dr. Hwa A. Lim 林華安博士 — where science meets life, technology meets humanity, and a serious idea occasionally arrives wearing a funny hat.

Explore the Wisdom About Dr. Lim
A Life Across Boundaries

Wisdom shaped by a life across cultures.

Dr. Hwa A. Lim's perspective is not confined to one country, one discipline or one way of thinking. Born and raised in Asia, educated in Europe and the United States, and professionally active in America, he has spent a career connecting ideas across borders.

From Asia to Europe to America — and beyond

Dr. Lim's intellectual journey brings together different educational traditions, cultures and professional environments.

He studied at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in the United Kingdom and pursued graduate education in the United States.

His professional experience includes work with supercomputing resources associated with the John von Neumann Computing Center at Princeton, leadership as a program director at the Supercomputer Computations Research Institute, university faculty experience, and a high-technology career in Silicon Valley, California.

That unusual combination helps explain the character of his sayings: scientific curiosity without losing sight of ordinary human life.

The Collection

Serious wisdom. Lightly carried.

Some ideas make you think. Some make you smile. The best ones manage to do both.

Browse Dr. Lim's sayings by theme, keyword or period. The complete collection combines the original archive with later additions.

Explore by Theme

Wisdom for more than the laboratory.

Dr. Lim's observations range from science and technology to ordinary human situations — because wisdom becomes useful when it survives outside the classroom.

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Ideas

Why ideas become more valuable when shared rather than hoarded.

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Knowledge

The difference between possessing information and knowing what to do with it.

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Technology

How technology changes us — and how we, in turn, shape technology.

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Growth

Skills, strengths, curiosity and the courage to keep learning.

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Global Life

What happens when East and West become parts of one lifelong conversation.

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Humor

Because even a scientist who works with supercomputers occasionally needs to laugh at the human operating system.

A Global Perspective

Wisdom does not need a passport.

Dr. Lim's life has crossed geographical and cultural boundaries: Asia in his formative years, Europe in higher education, and the United States in graduate education and professional life.

That journey gives his observations a particularly broad lens. His sayings can speak to scientists, entrepreneurs, educators, students, professionals — and anyone who has ever wondered why life refuses to come with an instruction manual.

The language may be English. The questions are universal.

Asia Formative years and cultural roots.
Europe Scientific education and intellectual formation.
America Graduate education, academia and technology.
World Ideas shared across cultures and generations.
Featured Ideas

A few ideas worth carrying with you.

“
If you have $10 and I have $10, we exchange our money and we still each have $10. But if you have an idea and I have an idea, we exchange our ideas and we each have two ideas.
— Hwa A. Lim, Opening Remark, Bioinformatics and Genome Research, Baltimore, 1996
Ideas
“
People think that more information is always better. This cannot be further from the truth.
— Hwa A. Lim, plenary lecture, Kuala Lumpur, 2005
Information
“
I would prefer someone who brings along a seed to another who drags along a whole tree.
— Hwa A. Lim, Silicon Valley, 2014
Leadership
“
We are trained to think of skills as something we develop for the workplace. But think of them as strengths, and they open up a huge number of opportunities.
— Hwa A. Lim, Milpitas, California, 2011
Growth
“
In certain sense, we shape technological trends, and afterwards prevailing technologies shape us.
— Hwa A. Lim, Xiamen, China, 2018
Technology
“
Is knowledge and intelligence the same thing? Absolutely NOT.
— Hwa A. Lim, keynote on health, wealth and smart biotechnology, Xiamen, China, 2018
Intelligence
Frequently Asked Questions

Questions people ask about Dr. Lim.

Clear answers for readers, search engines and answer engines.

Who is Dr. Hwa A. Lim 林華安博士?

Dr. Hwa A. Lim is a scientist, author, educator and technology leader whose career has connected computing, bioinformatics, biotechnology, healthcare and emerging technology.

Where was Dr. Hwa A. Lim educated?

Dr. Lim was raised in Asia, studied at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in the United Kingdom, and completed graduate education in the United States.

What makes Dr. Lim's perspective distinctive?

His perspective combines East Asian cultural roots, European scientific education and American professional experience. This gives his sayings a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary character.

What does Dr. Lim's professional background include?

His professional background includes work involving supercomputing resources at Princeton, leadership as a program director at the Supercomputer Computations Research Institute, university faculty experience, and a high-technology career in Silicon Valley.

What topics do Dr. Lim's sayings cover?

His sayings explore ideas, knowledge, intelligence, information, science, technology, artificial intelligence, creativity, leadership, education, global culture and everyday human experience.

Keep the idea moving

Take an idea. Make it bigger. Share it.

A good saying may make you think. A great one may change what you do next.

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