Thrive Cultural Wall
A Wall that Speaks for All
The word “thrive” is an integral part of The Valera NEST — A Nurturing Environment for Students to Thrive. The Thrive Cultural Wall represents the diversity and spirit of the Matador community, showcasing student voices from a variety of backgrounds.
Look deeper into the pieces that make up the word “thrive” on the wall, and you’ll see phrases from a variety of cultures and languages — your cultures and languages.
During the development of The Valera NEST, Matadors were asked to share an inspirational phrase from their cultures. Out of 186 phrases received, 57 made their way onto the wall. The University Student Union worked with the Office of Institutional Research, the International and Exchange Student Center and faculty to ensure CSUN’s demographics were accurately represented and that the phrases and languages were accurate. In addition, the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians provided phrases to represent the native culture of the land that CSUN occupies.
Submit Your Feedback
Is there a phrase missing or one that is inaccurate? Let us know here. As Matadors come and go, we know that CSUN’s demographics will change and the USU wants The Valera NEST to be a place where you feel that you belong.
Explore the Thrive Cultural Wall in Depth
| Inspirational Phrase | English Translation | Culture |
|---|---|---|
| It takes a village to raise a child. | - | African American |
| It ain’t what they call you—it’s what you answer to. | - | African American |
| You are blessed and highly favored. | - | African American |
| You are your ancestor’s wildest dreams. | - | African American |
| Fall seven times, stand up eight. | - | American |
| The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. | - | American |
 |
Thrive | American Sign Language |
| اعمل الخير وارميه البحر. | Do good and throw it into the sea. | Arab |
| Ուշ լինի, անուշ լինի: | Let it be late, but let it be sweet. | Armenian |
| মানুষ দাঁড়াতে শেখে অনেক আগেই| উঠে দাঁড়ানোটা শেখে হোঁচট খাবার পর | People learned to stand long ago. Learn to stand up after stumbling. | Bengali |
| ပညာလို အိုသည်မရှိ | You’re never too old to gain new knowledge. | Burmese |
| ការពឹងខ្លួនឯង ជាង់ជាយល្អ | Relying on yourself is the best victory. | Cambodian |
| Taya siña chumulé I tiningo’-mu. | No one can take your knowledge away from you. | Chamorro |
| 千里之行，始于足下 | A thousand miles begins with a single step. | Chinese |
| Wie goed doet, goed ontmoet. | Who does good, meets good. (Kindness is rewarded.) | Dutch |
| Taráhat | Community (Direct translation: people) | Fernandeño Tataviam |
| Ümüka' | Belonging (Direct translation: with y’all) | Fernandeño Tataviam |
| Napucha' | Nurture (Direct translation: the act of caring for) | Fernandeño Tataviam |
| Hindi ka nag-iisa. | You are not alone. | Filipino |
| Kapag may tiyaga, may nilaga. | If you have perserverance, you will see it bear fruit. | Filipino |
| Le succès n´est pas final, l´echec n´est pas fatal: C´est le courage de continuer qui compte. | Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is courage to continue that counts. | French |
| Die Tat unterscheidet das Ziel vom Traum. | The deed distingishes the goal from the dream. | German |
| Έχω αποτύχει ξανά και ξανά και ξανά στη ζωή μου και αυτός είναι ο λόγος που πετυχαίνω. | I have failed again and again and again in my life, and that is why I succeed. | Greek |
| Más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando. | A bird in the hand is worth more than 100 flying. | Guatamalen |
| सब्र का फल हमेशा मीठा होता है। | The fruit of patience is always sweet. | Hindu |
| Ponte las pilas. | Get it together/Keep going and don’t give up. Lit.: “Put on your batteries.” | Hispanic |
| Tetekaneini | Let’s dance. | Huichol |
| वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् | The whole world is one family. | Indian |
| Tak ada gading yang tak retak. | There is no ivory without cracks. | Indonesian |
| Finché c'è vita, c'è speranza. | As long as there’s life, there’s hope. | Italian |
| 礼に始まり礼に終わる | Begin and end with a bow. | Japanese |
| עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב, וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר, וֶהֱוֵי דָן אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת | Make for yourself a teacher, acquire for yourself a friend and judge every person favorably. | Jewish |
| 실패는 성공의 어머니 | Failure is the mother of success. | Korean |
| بێله هندیک بێ بێله رندیک بێ. | Let there be hardship, let there be joy. | Kurdish |
| Chi'n tzalá jin kùl mazanil tiempo yetoj yet ein ek' yetoj in famalia. | I’m happy all the time, even more when I’m with my family. | Mayan |
| No se brilla sin oscuridad. | It doesn’t shine without darkness. | Mexican |
| العقل السليم في الجسم السليم. | A healthy mind in a healthy body. | Middle Eastern |
| एउटा सानो सपना छ अनि त्यो सपना पुरा गर्ने एउटा ठुलो सपना छ। | I have one small dream and achieving that is my biggest dream. | Nepalese |
| Àșeyege | Suceed exceedingly. | Nigerian |
| Kūlia i ka nu‘u. | Strive to reach the highest. | Pacific Islander |
| O lupe sa vao ese'ese, ae ua fuifui faatasi. | Although we are from different parts of the forest, we are connected through our shared cause. | Pacific Islander |
| Oua lau e kafo, kae lau e lava. | Stay positive and count your blessings. | Pacific Islander |
| نیکی کر، دریا میں ڈال. | Do good and forget about it! | Pakistani |
| ِنَّا باقون ما بقي الزعتر والزيتون | We will remain as long as thyme and olive trees remain. | Palestinian |
| تا توانی دلی به دست آور، دل شکستن هنر نمی باشد. | Win as many hearts as you can; breaking hearts is not an art. | Persian |
| No se nace en vano al pie de un volcán. | One is not born in vain at the foot of a volcano. | Peruvian |
| Jakoś to będzie. | It will all work out somehow. | Polish |
| Grão a grão enche a galinha o papo. | Grain by grain, the chicken fills its belly. | Portuguese |
| ਟੁੰਕਾ ਟੁੰਕਾ ਕਰਕੇ ਗੁੱਡੀ ਚੜ੍ਹਦੀ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਆ। | You achieve success little by little; nothing comes overnight. | Punjabi |
| Терпение и труд всё перетрут | Patience and hard work will grind everything down. | Russian |
| Échale ganas | Keep going/moving forward. | Salvadoran |
| Umdala wethu ubukhulu bese siyabuka. | Our elders’ greatestness is our guide. | South African |
| අපේ කට්ටිය, අපේ වෙලවෙට. | Our work, our harvest. | Sri Lankan |
| ถึงท้อก็ต้องสู้ต่อไป | Keep fighting, even if you’re at your lowest. | Thai |
| Sen okyanusta bir damla değilsin. Bir damlanın içindeki okyanussun. | You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop. | Turkish |
| Дорогу здолає той, хто йде. | The road will be overcome by the one who walks it. | Ukranian |
| Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây. | When eating a fruit, think about the person who planted the tree. | Vietnamese |