Mountain mentality

Swiss farmers are tough, independent, hard-working, resilient, well-prepared for every kind of natural disaster, and above all staunchly conservative. These characteristics have been passed on to Swiss town-dwellers, who go about their day as if they too were farming a lonely mountain cliff.

We can do better

The Swiss stubbornly refuse to believe they are doing well and will even dispute the figures that prove it. So, like the poor donkey chasing the carrot, they pull their collective cart along ever faster, chasing the goal they passed years ago.

Peak performers

The perceptions of the Swiss being dull, staid, and boring while at the same time displaying a talent for ruthless efficiency and a limitless capacity for hard work are uncomfortably close to the truth. Likewise the clichéd impressions of high mountains, watches, cheese, chocolate bars, and gold bars are genuine.

Degrees of unease

The diversity of the Swiss is apparent in the degree to which they worry. The German-speakers do little else. The French-speaking Swiss are great visionaries and philosophers with noble thoughts and global dreams. They worry that their Swiss-German compatriots do not share these dreams. The Italian-speaking Swiss are less interested in the solid values of work and have a terrible tendency not to worry nearly enough.

山区心态

瑞士农民坚韧、独立、勤奋、顽强，对各种自然灾害都有充分的准备，最重要的是，他们是坚定的保守派。这些特点已经传给了瑞士的城镇居民，他们每天都像在孤独的山崖上耕作一样。

我们可以做得更好

瑞士人顽固地拒绝相信他们做得很好，甚至会对证明这一点的数字提出异议。因此，他们就像追逐胡萝卜的可怜的驴子一样，把他们的集体车拉得越来越快，追赶他们多年前的目标。

巅峰表现者

人们认为瑞士人沉闷、呆板、乏味，同时又表现出无情的效率和无限的努力工作能力，这与事实很不相符。同样，对高山、手表、奶酪、巧克力棒和金条的陈词滥调的印象也是真的。

不安的程度

瑞士人的多样性体现在他们的担忧程度上。讲德语的人几乎不做其他事情。讲法语的瑞士人是伟大的远见卓识者和哲学家，有着崇高的思想和全球梦想。他们担心他们的瑞士-德国同胞不分享这些梦想。讲意大利语的瑞士人对工作的坚实价值不太感兴趣，而且有一种可怕的倾向，就是担心得不够多。