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The Tough Task of ...
Epigraph Selection

Few things are more difficult than choosing a book's epigraph—a very few words that capture the spirit of a rather complex enterprise. The task, re The Little BIG Things, was indeed painful. I eventually settled on ... FOUR. But was "encouraged" (beaten about the head and shoulders) to pick ... ONE. For those who've read the book you'll know the choice, with which I am delighted, was #1, from Mr. Clay. Nonetheless, I'm offering up all four here, FYI.

"Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart." —Henry Clay, American Statesman (1777-1852)

"We don't take people to the elevator—we take them down to the street." —David Ogilvy

The art of war does not require complicated maneuvers; the simplest are the best and common sense is fundamental. From which one might wonder how it is generals make blunders; it is because they try to be clever." —Napoleon

From NPR: "A man approached J.P. Morgan, held up an envelope, and said, 'Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will gladly sell you for $25,000.'

"'Sir,' J.P. Morgan replied, 'I do not know what is in the envelope; however, if you show it to me, and I like it, I give you my word as a gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.'

"The man agreed to the terms, and handed over the envelope. J.P. Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper. He gave it one look, a mere glance, then handed the piece of paper back to the gent. And paid him the agreed-upon $25,000.

"The contents of the note:

"1. Every morning, write a list of the things that need to be done that day.

"2. Do them."

Did I make the correct choice?

Tom Peters posted this on 06/03/10.

Comments

Yes, great choice, you nailed it. Olgivy's quote is perfect that so many businesses need to remember/learn and enjoyed the NPR story, so simple that I need to learn that better to where it becomes an unconcious habit.

Posted by John Rosa at June 3, 2010 2:13 PM

I have to vote for two, but that's because D.O. meant a lot to me.

One that I would have picked instead:

"Don't compound your own weakness by employing people in key positions who have the same weakness."

He was fond of lists, like you:

Here's one on leadership:

"The qualifications I look for in our leaders are these:

1. High standards of personal ethics.
2. Big people, without pettiness.
3. Guts under pressure, resilience in defeat.
4. Brilliant brains, no safe plodders.
5. A capacity for hard work & midnight oil.
6. Charisma - charm & persuasiveness.
7. A streak of unorthodoxy - creative innovation.
8. The courage to make tough decisions.
9. Inspiring enthusiasts - with thrust & gusto.
10. A sense of humour."

Best,

Martijn

Posted by Martijn Sjoorda at June 3, 2010 2:56 PM

Martijn, D.O. was my #2; I almost went with both. I, too, a a raving bluthering D.O. fan. (Once passed up a chance to meet him, am kicking myself 35 years later!)

Posted by tom peters at June 3, 2010 4:59 PM

To me, Clay was the best choice. As one who works in wireless customer service it is the smallest of things that can make the biggest of differences with the folks on the front line. The more thankless and lower paying the position, the more important this becomes. It costs me nothing to make a person feel good about them-self. It's the the ultimate "Little Big Thing"!

Posted by Dave Wheeler at June 3, 2010 7:47 PM

http://www.thebigmoney.com/articles/judgments/2009/08/17/how-become-management-guru-five-easy-steps

Posted by zorro at June 3, 2010 8:15 PM

Interesting...but here's a different opinion on Stewart. Guess folks will just have to figure it out for themselves...

"This review is from: The Management Myth: Why the Experts Keep Getting it Wrong (Hardcover)
Save yourself 25 bucks and find Stewart's original article debunking management theory. It was published in 2006--Atlantic, I think--and is online. He gives it away in the opening of the book in the 80-20 rule applied to books like this. No doubt we need critics like Stewart, but the extended tale of his litigation with his firm and not-so-valiant quest to get every penny he could, then his gloat over every penny he got, suggests that he's just another opportunist. For years Stewart by his own admission ripped off his clients by providing them with a "service" they didn't need. He seems to take pride in his own lack of principle--that he knew he was simply a parasite while other, perhaps younger, colleagues actually believed they were doing some good. (If you actually get to the later chapters, you'll see that he quits the consulting life not because of any anguish over being a con man but because he realizes the lifestyle has given him a paunch!) I've looked at Stewart's history of philosophy, so I know he has read Plato, but I don't think he took anything Socrates said to heart. He lived the life of the sophist, gutting the treasuries of as many companies as he could, cashed out, became a philosopher and critic of the profession that made him wealthy. I'm sure there's some more technical term for this within moral philosophy, but amongst hoi polloi it's called "having your cake and eating it too."

I'll take consistency and passion over hypocrisy any day. But hey, that's me!

Posted by Dave Wheeler at June 3, 2010 8:42 PM

You made the right choice. All the candidate epigraphs are good but Clay's is the one that resonates most closely and supports the book title / thesis.

Posted by Mark JF at June 4, 2010 9:11 AM

But notwithstanding my comment above, I rather like this from Mother Teresa:

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.

And this from the immortal Sherlock Holmes:

It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.

Posted by Mark JF at June 4, 2010 9:21 AM

I think you made a great choice, Tom-- and the "right" choice. The Clay quotation arguably contains and conveys the messages of the other quotations, each fine in its own right. It also conveys timelessness and universal application.

Is it a virtue to always have a single epigraph, as a dedicated editor would likely incline toward?

Perhaps. Yet there can be a good case for mulitple epigraphs now and again. Martin Amis does that to great effect in his new book, 'The Pregnant Widow.' I've found myself returning repeatedly to the epigraphs as I read the book...

Posted by Jim Strock at June 4, 2010 2:47 PM

Hey Tom,

I was very lucky. When I was 14, I was mad about advertising. My parents gave me "Ogilvy on Advertising". It had his address in it, so I sent him a letter with questions. He responded in typical D.O. fashion. "I do not believe you are only 14, please send me a photograph of yourself. Here are my answers to your questions anyway."

I did. It was the start of a friendship that took me to his house several times over the years before he died. I am stil very grateful to him and his wife for taking me in at a time where I was so ill at ease with myself. I am 40 and sometimes feel only now I am getting just how smart and decent he was.

Best,

Martijn

Posted by Martijn Sjoorda at June 4, 2010 2:58 PM

Tom, Of the four, your selection would have received my vote, without question! Good Job!!

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Posted by Randy Bosch at June 4, 2010 4:29 PM

What Tom would have given to JP Morgan

1. Every morning, write a list

Posted by zorro at June 4, 2010 6:38 PM

"The art of war does not require complicated maneuvers; the simplest are the best and common sense is fundamental. From which one might wonder how it is generals make blunders; it is because they try to be clever." —Napoleon

So, he who tries the most things wins, but be if any of these things are clever, he will fail? Or he who tries the most
common sense non complicated things wins? Or, before you try lots of things, be sure you understand what clever means in your area of expertise and once you have a good solid list of what is clever, try everything that isn't on the list?

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