The Greatest Salesman in the World by OG Mandino
by Parker · 111 things on NewTwos
- Time is the most precious commodity
- No other trade or profession has more opportunity for one to ride from poverty to great wealth than that of salesman
- Wealth should never be your goal in life. True wealth is of the heart, not of the purse
- Do not aspire for wealth and labor not only to be rich. Strive instead for happiness, to be loved and to love, and most importantly, to acquire peace of mind and serenity
- Many face each obstacle in their path with fear and doubt and consider them as enemies when, in truth, these obstructions are friends and helpers. Obstacles are necessary for success because victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats. Yet each struggle, each defeat, sharpens your skills and strengths, your courage and your endurance, your ability and your confidence and thus each obstacle is a comrade-in-arms forcing you to become better... or quit. Each rebuff is an opportunity to move forward; turn away from them, avoid them, and you throw away your future
- Never feel shame for trying and failing for he who has never failed is he who has never tried
- Keep it always in your mind and you will overcome seemingly impossible obstacles that are certain to confront you as they do everyone with ambition
- Failure will never overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough
- Always share half of whatever wealth you acquire with others less fortunate
- Today I am born anew and my birthplace is a vineyard where there is fruit for all
- Within my allotted time I must practice the art of patience for nature acts never in haste
- I will commence my journey unencumbered with either the weight of unnecessary knowledge or the handicap of meaningless experience. Nature already has supplied me with the knowledge and instinct far greater than any beast in the forest and the value of experience is overrated, usually by old men who nod wisely and speak stupidly
- Experience teaches thoroughly yet her course of instruction devours men's years so the value of her lessons diminishes with the time necessary to acquire her special wisdom
- Experience is comparable to fashion; an action that proved successful today will be unworkable and impractical tomorrow
- Only principles endure
- What is success other than a state of mind?
- Failure is man's inability to reach his goals in life, whatever they may be
- Good habits are the key to all success
- The first law is—I will form good habits and become their slave
- My actions are ruled by appetite, passion, prejudice, greed, love, fear, environment, habit, and the worst of these tyrants is habit. Therefore, I must be a slave to habit let me be a slave to good habits. My bad habits must be destroyed and new furrows prepared for good seed
- Another of nature's laws, only a habit can subdue another habit
- I will read each scroll for thirty days in this prescribed manner, before I proceed to the next scroll
- First, I will read the words in silence when I arise. Then, I will read the words in silence after I have partaken of my midday meal. Last, I will read the words again just before I retire at day's end, and most important, on this occasion I will read the words aloud
- Any act with practice becomes easy
- Thus a new and good habit is born, for when an act becomes easy through constant repetition it becomes a pleasure to perform and if it is a pleasure to perform it is man's nature to perform it often. When I perform it often it becomes a habit and I become its slave and since it is a good habit this is my will
- I will greet this day with love in my heart
- Muscle can split a shield and even destroy life but only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of men and until I master this art I will remain no more than a peddler in the market place
- My reasoning they may counter; my speech they may distrust; my apparel they may disapprove; my face they may reject; and even my bargains may cause them suspicion; yet my love will melt all hearts liken to the sun whose rays soften the coldest clay
- Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge
- I will laud mine enemies and they will become friends; I will encourage my friends and they will become brothers. Always will I dig for reasons to applaud; never will I scratch for excuses to gossip. When I am tempted to criticize I will bite on my tongue; when I am moved to praise I will shout from the roofs
- I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even thought they be hidden. With love I will tear down the wall of suspicion and hate which they have built round their hearts and in its place will I build bridges so that my love may enter their souls
- And how will I confront each whom I meet? In only one way. In silence and to myself I will address him and say I love you
- And most of all I will love myself. For when I do I will zealously inspect all things which enter my body, my mind, my soul, and my heart. Never will I overindulge the requests of my flesh, rather I will cherish my body with cleanliness and moderation. Never will I allow my mind to be attracted to evil and despair, rather I will uplift it with the knowledge and wisdom of the ages. Never will I allow my soul to become complacent and satisfied, rather I will feed it with meditation and prayer. Never will I allow my heart to become small and bitter, rather I will share it and it will grow and warm the earth
- Henceforth I will love all mankind. From this moment all hate is let from my veins for I have not time to hate, only time to love
- I will greet this day with love, and I will succeed
- I will persist until I succeed
- If I persist, if I continue to try, if I continue to charge forward, I will succeed
- I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious
- The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal
- Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult
- I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking
- I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools
- I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where dry desert ends, green grass grows
- I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good. I will persist with knowledge that each failure to sell will increase my chance for success at the next attempt
- When others cease their struggle, then mine will begin, and my harvest will be full
- Nor will I allow yesterday's success to lull me into today's complacency, for this is the great foundation of failure
- I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and I will great the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life
- I know one of the greatest principles of success; if I persist long enough I will win
- I am nature's greatest miracle
- None that came before, none that live today, and none that come tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me. All men are my brothers yet I am different from each. I am a unique creature
- Within me burns a flame which has been passed from generations uncounted and its heat is a constant irritation to my spirit to become better than I am, and I will. I will fan this flame of dissatisfaction and proclaim my uniqueness to the world
- I will place my uniqueness on display in the market place. I will proclaim it, yea, I will sell it
- I am rare, and there is value in all rarity therefore, I am valuable
- I am the end product of thousands of years of evolution; therefore, I am better equipped in both mind and body than all the emperors and wise men who preceded me
- I have unlimited potential
- A hundredfold or more can I increase my accomplishments of yesterday and this I will do, beginning today
- Nevermore will I be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments nor will I indulge, anymore, in self-praise for deeds which in reality are too small to even acknowledge. I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will, for why should the miracle which produced me end with my birth? Why can I not extend that miracle to my deeds of today?
- I am not on this earth by change. I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy
- I will increase my knowledge of mankind, myself, and the goods I sell, thus my sales will multiply. I will practice, and improve, and polish words I utter to sell my goods, for this is the foundation on which I will build my career and never will I forget that many have attained great wealth and success with only one sales talk, delivered with excellence. Also will I seek constantly to improve my manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracted
- I will concentrate my energy on the challenge of the moment and my actions will help me forget all else. The problems of my home will be left in my home
- All my problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise
- I will live this day as if it is my last
- Yesterday is buried forever and I will think of it no more
- Procrastination I will destroy with action; doubt I will bury under faith; fear I will dismember with confidence
- Today I will be master of my emotions
- All nature is a circle of moods and I am a part of nature and so, like the tides, my moods will rise; my moods will fall
- Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts
- If I feel depressed I will sing. If I feel sad I will laugh. If I feel ill I will double my labour. If I feel fear I will plunge ahead. If I feel inferior I will wear new garments. If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice. If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come. If I feel incompetent I will remember past success. If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals
- If I become overconfident I will recall my failures. If I overindulge I will think of past hungers. If I feel complacency I will remember my competition. If I enjoy moments of greatness I will remember moments of shame. If I feel all-powerful I will try to stop the wind. If I attain great wealth I will remember one unfed mouth. If I become overly proud I will remember a moment of weakness. If I feel my skills unmatched I will look at the stars
- With this new knowledge I will also understand and recognize the moods of him on whom I call. I will make allowances for his anger and irritation of today for he knows not the secret of controlling his mind. I can withstand his arrows and insults for now I know that tomorrow he will change and be a joy to approach
- No longer will I judge a man on one meeting; no longer will I fail to call again tomorrow on he who meets me with hate today
- I will recognize and identify the mystery of moods in all mankind, and in me. From this moment I am prepared to control whatever personality awakes in me each day. I will master my moods through positive action and when I master my moods I will control my destiny
- I will laugh at the world
- I will smile and my digestion will improve; I will chuckle and my burdens will be lightened; I will laugh and my life will be lengthened for this is the great secret of long life and now it is mine
- I will laugh at myself for man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously
- Will my concern for this day not seem foolish ten years hence? Why should I permit the petty happenings of today to disturb me?
- This too shall pass
- Never will I labor to be happy; rather will I remain too busy to be sad. I will enjoy today's happiness today
- Each day will be triumphant only when my smiles bring forth smiles from others and this I do in selfishness, for those on whom I frown are those who purchase not my goods
- Only with laughter and happiness can I truly become a success. Only with laughter and happiness can I enjoy the fruits of my labor. Were it not so, far better would it be to fail, for happiness is the wine that sharpens the taste of the meal. To enjoy success I must have happiness, and laughter will be the maiden who serves me
- Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold
- First, I will set goals for the day, the week, the month, the year, and my life
- In setting my goals I will consider my best performance of the past and multiply it a hundredfold. This will be the standard by which I will live in the future. Never will I be of concern that my goals are too high for is it not better to aim my spear t the moon and strike only an eagle than to aim my spear at the eagle and strike only a roock?
- If I stumble I will rise and my falls will not concern me for all men must stumble often to reach the hearth
- Today I will surpass every action which I performed yesterday. I will climb today's mountain to the utmost of my ability yet tomorrow I will climb higher than today, and the next will be higher than tomorrow
- To surpass the deeds of others is unimportant; to surpass my own deeds is all
- I will be as my own prophet and though all may laugh at my utterances they will hear my plans, they will know my dreams; and thus there will be no escape for me until my words become accomplished deeds
- I will do the work that a failure will not do
- I will never be content with my performance in the market
- I will always raise my goals as soon as they are attained
- I will always strive to make the next hour better than this one
- I will always announce my goals to the world
- Never will I proclaim my accomplishments. Let the world, instead, approach me with praise and may I have the wisdom to receive it in humility
- My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals are impossible. All are of no value unless they are followed by action. I will act now
- Now I know that to conquer fear I must always act without hesitation and the flutters in my heart will vanish. Now I know that action reduces the lion of terror to an ant of equanimity
- I will remember the lesson of the firefly who gives of its light only when it is on the wing, only when it is in action. I will be as the firefly and my light will brighten the world
- I will not avoid the tasks of today and charge them to tomorrow for I know that tomorrow never comes
- Let me act now even though my actions may not bring happiness or success for it is better to act and fail than not to act and flounder. Happiness, in truth, may not be the fruit plucked by my action yet without action all fruit will die on the vine
- Only action determines my value in the market place and to multiply my value I will multiply my actions. I will walk where the failure fears to walk. I will work when the failure seeks to rest. I will talk when the failure remains silent
- I hunger for success. I thirst for happiness and peace of mind. Lest I act I will perish in a life of failure, misery, and sleepless nights
- Only for guidance will I pray, that I may be shown the way to acquire these things, and my prayer will always be answered
- Oh creator of all things, help me. For this day I go out into the world naked and alone, and without your hand to guide me I will wander far from the path which leads to success and happiness
- Guide me so that I may acquire ability equal to my opportunities
- Help me to remain humble through obstacles and failures; yet hide not from mine eyes the prize that will come with victory
- Assign me tasks to which others have failed; yet guide me to pluck the seeds of success from their failures. Confront me with fears that will temper my spirit; yet endow me with courage to laugh at misgivings
- Spare me sufficient days to reach my goals; yet help me to live this day as though it be my last
- Guide me in my words that they may bear fruit; yet silence me from gossip that none be maligned
- Discipline me in the habit of trying and trying again; yet show me the way to make sue of the law of averages. Favor me with alertness to recognize opportunity; yet endow me with patience which will concentrate my strength
- Bathe me in good habits that the bad ones may drown; yet grant me compassion for weaknesses in others. Suffer me to know that all things shall pass; yet help me count my blessings of today
- Expose me to hate so it not be a stranger; yet fill my cup with love to turn strangers into friends
- The Greatest Salesman in the World by OG Mandino summary