25 Quotes Worth Framing from “How to Win Friends and Influence People”
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is a classic that everyone should read. That includes people who want to be better at sales, people who want to get better at selling themselves, and anyone who wants an edge when trying to win an argument.
Simply put, it’s for anyone who is interested in bettering themselves or making their lives easier. Below are 25 quotes from How to Win Friends and Influence People that would look good framed and hung around your house.
Dealing with people is probably the biggest problem you face, especially if you are in business.
What is this magic requirement? Just this: a deep, driving desire to learn, a vigorous determination to increase your ability to deal with people.
Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, people don’t criticize themselves for anything, no matter how wrong it may be.
Criticism is dangerous, because it wounds a person’s precious pride, hurts his sense of importance, and arouses resentment.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.
Try leaving a friendly trail of little sparks of gratitude on your daily trips. You will be surprised how they will set small flames of friendship that will be rose beacons on your next visit.
So the only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.
Tomorrow you may want to persuade somebody to do something. Before you speak, pause and ask yourself: “How can I make this person want to do it?”
The world is full of people who are grabbing and self-seeking. So the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage. He has little competition.
You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.
If we want to make friends, let’s put ourselves out to do things for other people—things that require time, energy, unselfishness and thoughtfulness.
She didn’t realize what everyone knows: namely, that the expression one wears on one’s face is far more important than the clothes one wears on one’s back.
To someone who has seen a dozen people frown, scowl or turn their faces away, your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds.
The name sets the individual apart; it makes him or her unique among all others.
Always make the other person feel important.
As a result of all this, I have come to the conclusion that there is only one way under high heaven to get the best of an argument—and that is to avoid it. Avoid it as you would avoid rattlesnakes and earthquakes.
Control your temper.
Listen first.
Be honest.
In talking with people, don’t begin by discussing the things on which you differ. Begin by emphasizing—and keep on emphasizing—the things on which you agree.
Even our friends would much rather talk to us about their achievements than listen to us boast about ours.
Three-fourths of the people you will ever meet are hungering and thirsting for sympathy. Give it to them, and they will love you.
Talk about changing people. If you and I will inspire the people with whom we come in contact to a realization of the hidden treasures they possess, we can do far more than change people. We can literally transform them.
Be sincere. Do not promise anything that you cannot deliver. Forget about the benefits to yourself and concentrate on the benefits to the other person.
Be empathetic. Ask yourself what it is the other person really wants.
If you want to win people over, putting the information from the list above would be a great place to start. If you can encourage others to talk, listen to their point of view and be genuinely interested in them, you’ll be much better off. Just like it says on the cover of How to Win Friends and Influence People, it’s “the only book you need to lead you to success.”