A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on friendship.
The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The skill of interacting with others is highly valuable and can be prioritized over material wealth.
In this quote, John D. Rockefeller emphasizes the immense worth of interpersonal skills, suggesting that the ability to effectively engage and communicate with people is more valuable than any material possession. He compares this skill to common commodities like sugar and coffee, highlighting its significance in achieving success and happiness in life. Rockefeller's perspective reflects a broader understanding that relationships and social skills are foundational to both personal and professional success.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a business seminar focusing on the importance of communication skills.
More from John D. Rockefeller
All quotes βIt is wrong to assume that men of immense wealth are always happy.
The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets.
This Sunday School has been of help to me, greater perhaps than any other force in my Christian life, and I can ask no better things for you than that you, and all that shall come after you in this great band of workers for Christ, shall receive the same measure of blessedness which I have been permitted to have.
The person who starts out simply with the idea of getting rich won't succeed; you must have a larger ambition. There is no mystery in business success. If you do each day's task successfully, and stay faithfully within these natural operations of commercial laws which I talk so much about, and keep your head clear, you will come out all right.
Think of giving not only as a duty but as a privilege.
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