"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." - Mark Twain Limiting cultural beliefs operate in much the same way to limiting personal beliefs. A lot has been written in the personal development and self help fields about overcoming perceptions in the mind that hold you back from achieving your goals. Negative self talk such as "I'm not brave enough, strong enough, beautiful enough, dedicated enough..." Self imposed limitations are self fulfilling prophecies however they can be overcome with the right mental attitude. A cultural belief is exactly the same, apart from the fact that it is harder to spot because it is a shared belief.