I wish to have as my epitaph: 'Here lies a man who was wise enough to bring into his service men who knew more than he.'
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of valuing the knowledge and skills of others.
Andrew Carnegie's quote suggests that true wisdom lies in recognizing oneβs own limitations and surrounding oneself with individuals who possess greater knowledge and expertise. By doing so, a person not only enhances their own understanding but also contributes to collective success. It highlights the idea that leadership is not about having all the answers but about empowering others to contribute their strengths.
In practice
In a leadership seminar discussing effective management strategies.
Give me the life of the boy whose mother is nurse, seamstress, washerwoman, cook, teacher, angel, and saint, all in one, and whose father is guide, exemplar, and friend. No servants to come between. These are the boys who are born to the best fortune.
To kill a man will be considered as disgusting [in the twentieth century] as we in this day consider it disgusting to eat one.
It is not the rich man's son that the young struggler for advancement has to fear in the race for life, nor his nephew, nor his cousin. Let him look out for the dark horse in the boy who begins by sweeping out the office.
You are what you think. So just think big, believe big, act big, work big, give big, forgive big, laugh big, love big and live big.
Speculation is a parasite feeding upon values, creating none.
Don't be content with doing only your duty. Do more than your duty. It's the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race.
When we try to avoid one fault, we are led to the opposite, unless we be very careful.
Sweet is the memory of past troubles.
Forgiveness is a gift to myself. I forgive, and I set myself free.
We want to believe. Young students try to believe in older authors, constituents try to believe in their Congressmen, countries try to believe in their statesmen, but they can't. Too many voices, too much scattered, illogical ill-considered criticism.
Nourish your hopes, but do not overlook realities.
There cannot live a more unhappy creature than an ill-natured old man, who is neither capable of receiving pleasures, nor sensible of conferring them on others.
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