"East is East and West is West and never the twain (two) shall meet." Eastern (Asian) culture will always be different than Western (European, American) culture and that trying to get the two together will end in failure. This line is from “The Ballad of East and West,” a poem by Rudyard Kipling. I don't believe it myself, and it reflects attitudes of both East and West in the 1800's and is out-of-date. It is used sometimes to refer to any two cultures or types of people who you think won't ever get along together because of their lifestyles.