One of the many stereotypes of the Swiss is that they are perceived – by the global non-Swiss community – as dull. One of the reasons the Swiss are dull – according to an article we came across some years ago – is that the Swiss never had victories on battlefields to speak of, never had colonies, never had social upheavals, never had social disasters.
The Swiss, unlike their neighbors, don’t even strike. The article went on to the argue that periods of stress, such as war, bring out the best in terms of human inventiveness and creativity.
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However, Switzerland – by any standard – is also among the world’s richest nations. Has the reader ever thought that there might be a relationship between dullness and riches?
Alexander Ineichen – Swiss banker (*1967),from “Asymmetric Returns”, Quotations book 2008