Influence Friday: Chapter 1

“If You Want to Gather Honey, Don’t Kick Over the Beehive” – Chapter 1, How to Win Friends and Influence People

Fridays are great days to start a new conversation about a great book so let’s discuss chapter 1 of our new book.  The title of this chapter alone reminds me of the old saying , “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” Doesn’t the thought of honey just fill your mind with pure sweetness and authenticity. Or maybe that is what comes to my mind only.  

As much as I enjoy putting analyzing  what I read.  I want to try something new for the reading and posting of How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  There is so much timeless information enclosed, I want to focus on the quotes I found to be the most memorable and practical for the way we live today.  Thus I am going to include quotes that speak to the following:

1. Personal beliefs – these are those areas that we have to work on recognizing in order to influence change.

2. Wisdom – lessons learned through life experience.

3.  Practical applicability – information which is timeless and applicable to life circumstances of today and the future.

Favorite Quotes:
1.  “Under my coat is a weary heart, but a kind one—one that would do nobody any harm.” – Two Gun Crowley

2.  “John Wanamaker, founder of the stores that bear his name, once confessed: “I learned thirty years ago that it is foolish to scold. I have enough trouble overcoming my own limitations without fretting over the fact that God has not seen fit to distribute evenly the gift of intelligence.” – Dale Carnegie

3.   “Criticism is futile because it puts a person on the defensive and usually makes him strive to justify himself. Criticism is dangerous, because it wounds a person’s precious pride, hurts his sense of importance, and arouses resentment.” – Dale Carnegie

4.  “Let’s realize that criticisms are like homing pigeons. They always return home. Let’s realize that the person we are going to correct and condemn will probably justify himself or herself, and condemn us in return” – Dale Carnegie

5. “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” – Abraham Lincoln

6.  “When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity. ” – Dale Carnegie

Application Step:

Take a few moments and read the poem “Father Knows Best.”  

Reflect on how this poem is applicable to your life today.  

Is there someone you are expecting too much from and not cherishing?  How can you change the situation?

Til next time,

“Do you know someone you would like to change and regulate and improve? Good! That is fine. I am all in favor of it. But why not begin on yourself? From a purely selfish standpoint, that is a lot more profitable than trying to improve others—yes, and a lot less dangerous. “Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbor’s roof,” said Confucius, “when your own doorstep is unclean.”” – Dale Carnegie