Golly wobbles! Still more snappy quotations?
The Yale Book of Quotations
You got it, Kimosabe. Today’s your day.
Here are ten more snappy more quotations that caught my eye. You can use each of them in a variety of different situations (e.g. emails, proposals, formal presentations, reviews, blog posts). If you have others to share, I hope you will do so.
And again, I highly recommend The Yale Book of Quotations, brilliantly edited by Fred R. Shapiro and published by Yale University Press.
1. “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” Oscar Wilde
2. “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt
3. “A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.” David Brinkley
4. “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” Anaïs Nin
5. “Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway.” Mary Kay Ash
6. “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Philip K. Dick
7. “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” Albert Einstein
8. “Reality is a collective hunch.” Lilly Tomlin
9. ”Few people have the imagination for reality.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
10. “I’m not crazy about reality, but it’s still the only place to get a decent meal.” Groucho Marx
What? Another 10 snappy quotations?
Yale Book of Quotations
Yes indeedy.
Here are ten quotations that caught my eye. I will have dozens of opportunities to use each of them in a variety of different situations (e.g. emails, proposals, formal presentations, reviews, blog posts). If you have others to share, I hope you will do so.
And again, I highly recommend The Yale Book of Quotations, brilliantly edited by Fred R. Shapiro and published by Yale University Press.
1. “It may be the cock that crows, but it is the hen that lays the eggs. If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” Margaret Thatcher
2. “I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it.” Walt Disney
3. “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” Yogi Berra
4. “Play the game for more than you can afford to lose… only then will you learn the game.” Winston Churchill
5. “A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation.” Adlai E. Stevenson
6. “A company is only as good as the people it keeps.” Mary Kay Ash
7. “I don’t think anyone should write their autobiography until after they’re dead.” Samuel Goldwyn
8. “I have an existential map. It has ‘You are here’ written all over it.” Steven Wright
9. “Bureaucrats: they are dead at 30 and buried at 60. They are like custard pies; you can’t nail them to a wall.” Frank Lloyd Wright
10. “If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets.” Mel Brooks
Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time: A Book review by Bob Morris
Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time
Daniel Gross and the Editors of Forbes Magazine
John Wiley & Son (1997)
Each of the 20 chapters offers a profile of a major contributor to the evolution of American business history, beginning with one of my ancestors, Robert Morris (America’s “first real businessman”), and concluding with Bill Gates (“Microsoft’s cofounder and guiding spirit”). In between, Gross and his associates also examine other great leaders such as McCormick, Rockefeller, Morgan, Ford, Merrill, Sarnoff, Disney, Johnson, Ogilvy, Kroc, Wilson, Ash, Walton, and McGowan as well as major corporations such as American Express, Intel, Harley-Davidson, and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. The reader is told, “This book is about heroes” and it really is.
Using the most effective strategies and devices of a storyteller, the authors examine biographical information within an historical context, sustaining interest with anecdotes while providing insights as to the causes and effects of each subject’s accomplishments. For Morris, essentially the economic survival of thirteen colonies during their struggle for independence. For McCormick, the industrialization of agriculture. For Rockefeller, the creation and development of the modern corporation. For Morgan, saving a nation’s financial system. For Ford, mass-producing affordable personal transportation. For Merrill, broadening the base of stock ownership to include those, among others, for whom the Ford Motor Company manufactured automobiles. Each of the other “heroes” discussed made equally important contributions.
A brief review such as this can only suggest (albeit inadequately) the wealth of information to be found in this volume. The prose has snap, crackle, and pop. The focus is crystal clear. The lessons to be learned from the careers examined are of incalculable value. Although this book will be of interest to almost anyone, it will have special importance for school, college, and university students who may sometimes wonder if there are any “secrets to success.” The answer is yes. The specifics are to be found in the profiles of individuals and organizations discussed in Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time.
A Young Roger Ebert — the Unabashed, Never to be Deterred Salesman
I’ve written often about my absolute devotion to Roger Ebert. (Like here: Roger Ebert Reminds us All Just Why We Love Our Books). “Sell all that you have, and read Ebert.” I wrote (with apology to Helmut Thielecke).
A young Roger Ebert and friend
Here’s a little bit from his latest blog post. It’s a pretty good reminder that we all have to be selling something – all the time. (“Nothing Happens Until Somebody Sells Something.” – Mary Kay Ash).
Roger’s paragraphs – priceless! — Here they are:
I was a case study. I threw myself into the school’s annual magazine subscription contest, sponsored by the Curtis Circulation Company. A portion of each subscription went to the school, and the best salesman won a trophy. I won two years in a row, flogging the Saturday Evening Post, Ladies’ Home Journal, Popular Mechanics and dozens of other titles (the nuns neatly crossed off Esquire on every form). A Curtis pitchman arrived to kick off the next year. “Everyone you know is a sales opportunity!” he lectured us in the auditorium. “Your parents, your neighbors, even people you meet! Don’t be shy! Sell those subscriptions!”
I raised my hand. “Sir,” I asked, “would you like to buy a subscription?” I expected laughter, applause and his congratulations. What I got was total silence and Sister Gilberta ordering me to meet with her in the hall to explain why I had embarrassed my whole school. Then followed conferences with my parents. I felt humiliated and outraged. I thought I’d been outrageously mistreated by people with no imagination or sympathy. I suppose in another sense I was being a little asshole. That pattern has persisted.
Nothing Happens Until Somebody Sells Something! – a reminder from Mary Kay Ash
A quick story: we had quite a snowstorm (for Dallas) a few weeks ago. A limb from a tall tree landed on our roof. I have neither the tools nor the expertise to take care of that problem, and as I was trying to figure out what to do, the doorbell rang. It was an enterprising man, looking at the trees from house to house, and he offered to remove the limb from our roof, cut it up, and get it out to the curb for pick up. His price was very reasonable. I hired him on the spot, and was thrilled at the convenience. I had to spend no time looking for someone to take care of this problem.
He showed up again this weekend, observing that we had some more work that needed to be done – and he was right. I had been meaning to call someone. Now, it is taken care of.
So – here’s the lesson – if you have a good service or product, don’t neglect sales.
Here’s a chapter title from the book by Mary Kay Ash, The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles from America’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur, with her sub-points:
Nothing Happens Until Somebody Sells Something!
• (the absolute centrality of the independent sales force…)
• the entire company should be sales-oriented
• the company’s attitude can make or break the sales force
• build self-esteem and confidence
——————-
By the way, does your company need a custom business book synopsis? Just click the hire us tab at the top of our blog, or send me an e-mail: r.mayeux@airmail.net. A good book synopsis can generate some really useful conversations and help you plan your next steps.
More thoughts about Civility – In an era of rudeness and incivility
There’s a terrific scene in the movie Blast From the Past. Brendan Fraser plays a young man who spent most of his life below ground in a bomb shelter, with only his parents as companions/models/teachers.
Here’s the scene (from the script):
Troy:
You know, I asked him about that (about his perfect manners). And he said that good manners are a way we have of showing other people that we respect them. See, you’d eat like a slob if you were alone, but since another human being is present, you show that person respect by going to the trouble of having proper manners. I didn’t know that. I thought it was a way of appearing superior. (then) Know what else he told me?
…Turns out, the short and very simple definition of a gentleman or a lady is: someone always attempts to make the people around him or her feel as comfortable as possible. That’s it! If you don’t do that, nothing else matters. The cars, the clothes, the houses…
Eve:
Where did he get all that information?
Troy:
From the oddest place. His parent’s told him. I don’t think I got that memo.
I thought of this scene recently when Bob Morris, our blogging colleague, reviewed a book on civility in his post: Book Review: The Cost of Bad Behavior: How Incivility Is Damaging Your Business and What to Do About It.
This is a good week to think about such a topic. Last night, for the first time in my lifetime, a sitting member of congress yelled out at the President in the middle of his speech to both houses of Congress. It was unprecedented, and members of both parties denounced it immediately. The member of Congress has apologized, but the message is clear – this is truly now the era of incivility. Such an act was simply unconscionable – and yet, sadly, maybe not so surprising.
The Mary Kay Way
Here’s the question for this blog: is incivility good business? I hope not. Consider this quote from Mary Kay Ash from her book, The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles from America’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur:
Every person is special! I sincerely believe this. Each of us wants to feel good about himself or herself, but to me it is just as important to make others feel the same way. Whenever I meet someone, I try to imagine him or her wearing an invisible sign that says: MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT! I respond to this sign immediately, and it works wonders.
I once waited in a long reception line to shake hands with the company’s sales manager, only to have him treat me as if I didn’t exist. I’m sure he didn’t remember the incident; in fact, he probably was never aware of how much he had hurt me. Yet, after all these years, I still remember – so it obviously had a powerful impact on me. I learned an important lesson about people that day which I have never forgotten: No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make the other person feel important!
Civility really is simply the practice of good manners. And, as the movie says, good manners are a sign of respect. Respect – good manners… these are genuine business essentials in an increasingly rude world.
Civility beats incivility in every way. And civility flows from respect, from a desire to help make the other person feel respected, feel accepted, feel important. Rudeness and incivility seem like very bad business stances, don’t you think?
Is Business Becoming a Woman’s World?
Here is a simple fact that we can all agree on — women have not always had an easy path moving up in a man’s world. I remember the time that I was a guest for lunch in the Los Angeles Club (this was a few decades ago). I was told to go up the stairs to the dining room, which I did. The dining room was small, and there were a few couples scattered around. After a few minutes, I asked the host about meeting my party, and he informed me “that would be in the main dining room, up one more slight of stairs.” So up I went, and discovered a huge dining room — filled with nothing but men. Not a woman in sight. Imagine being a woman competing in that climate!
But times, they are a changing. Our audiences at the First Friday Book Synopsis are truly a mix of men and women. (We do have a few other barriers to overcome — we’re not as diverse as we could be). But women, at our event, and in all areas of business, present a clear and growing force.
Recently, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, authors of Womenomics, wrote of this change in an op-ed piece in the Washington Post, Fixing the Economy? It’s Women’s Work. They wrote:
While the pinstripe crowd fixates on troubled assets, a stalled stimulus and mortgage remedies, it turns out that a more sure-fire financial fix is within our grasp — and has been for years. New research says a healthy dose of estrogen may be the key not only to our fiscal recovery, but also to economic strength worldwide.
And: The numbers make a compelling case. The studies Ernst & Young rounded up show that women can make the difference between economic success and failure in the developing world, between good and bad decision-making in the industrialized world, and between profit and loss in the corporate world. Their conclusion: American companies would do well with more senior women.
Their point is not that women should get a fair shake, a true shot at actual equality (though they should). Their point is something far more profound — things would be better, problems could actually be solved, the future could be brighter if women were allowed to speak their voices at the problem-solving tables of the world.
I have a hunch they are right.
Over the years, we have presented synopses of a number of excellent books at the First Friday Book Synopsis focused on women and business issues: Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman: What Men Know About Success That Women Need to Learn by Gail Evans; Women Don’t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide and Ask For It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want, both by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever; How She Does It: How Women Entrepreneurs Are Changing the Rules of Business Success by Margaret Heffernan; The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles from America’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur by Mary Kay Ash, among others. With our fellow bloggers Cheryl Jensen and Sare Smith, I will speak at our first (hopefully) of many events focused on women and business. (Read about the August 12 event here).
This I know. Trying to solve problems, trying to succeed in business with men only is wrong, foolish, and under-resourced. The future may not belong to women alone , but it certainly belongs to women and men equally, and together.
(Yes, we will be presenting a synopsis of Womenomics this fall at the First Friday Book Synopsis).
{To purchase our synopses of the books mentioneed above, and many other business books, with handout + audio, go to our 15 Minute Business Book site}.
Q #56: Which business books do women find most valuable?
In this series, Bob Morris poses a key question and then responds to it with material from one or more of the business books he has reviewed for Amazon and Borders.
That is another question I am frequently asked. My answer is, “Books that respond directly to their most important needs, interests, objectives, etc.” (By the way, that is the same response to another question, “Which business books do executives find most valuable?”) For many years, I have reviewed business books for three Web sites that were founded by and for business women. One of them is the online “home” for Business and Professional Women/USA. Each month, ten new reviews are featured.
After the first three months, I began to receive quite a few complaints, some accusing me of being “chauvinistic,” “patronizing,” “condescending,” etc. I called the BPW/USA headquarters and spoke with my contact. “What’s all this about?” She explained that the organization’s staff as well as most of its members “really appreciated” the reviews but it would be a good idea to discuss the business books I thought were most important. “If some were written by and for women, fine, but don’t let that be the only consideration.” Since then, I haven’t.
One final point: I think that there are several business books written by and primarily for women that should also be read by men. The value of the material they provide transcends gender. For example:
The Mary Kay Way: Timeless Principles from America’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur (Mary Kay Ash)
Women Don’t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide and Ask For It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want (Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever)
America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines (Gail Collins)
Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman: What Men Know About Success that Women Need to Learn (Gail Evans)
How She Does It: How Women Entrepreneurs Are Changing the Rules of Business Success (Margaret Heffernan)
How to Be Like Women of Influence: Life Lessons from 20 of the Greatest (Ruth and Pat Williams with Michael Mink)
Fortunately, all of them are available in a paperbound edition.
Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob
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