If, like me, you enjoy reading Forbes magazine’s “Thoughts on the Business of Life” feature, you should also like this new book by Don W. Hodges.
Hodges, a professional asset manager who founded Dallas’s Hodges Capital in 1989, has compiled several thousand quotations here pertaining to business and life in general.
The quotes come from a wide variety of leaders and sages—from Tom Landry, T. Boone Pickens, and Steve Jobs to Ben Franklin and Trammell Crow. They’re arranged under 10 different chapter titles, with headings like Business, Humor, Money, and Perseverance. Here’s a sampling:
Attitude: “A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.” —Dwight Eisenhower
“I come to every situation not with my knowledge, but with my ignorance, and I ask questions.” —Peter Drucker
Realism: “Trust everyone, but cut the cards.” —Ronald Reagan
“To err is human. To cover up, is plain dumb.” —Gretchen Morgenson
“Soldiers admire leaders who are focused and don’t overreact.” —Lt. Gen. Robert Cone
“Never invest in any idea that you cannot illustrate with a crayon.” —Peter Lynch
“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” —Mike Tyson
Business: “There is no advertising as potent as a satisfied customer.” —Stanley Marcus
“I have seen many downturns in business. Always, America has emerged from these stronger and more prosperous.” —Thomas Edison
Work: “If you’re too lazy to plow, don’t expect a harvest.” —Proverbs 20:4
Perseverance: “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” —John Wayne
A true, old-fashioned Texan who admires western art, Hodges turned to world-renowned artist Tim Cox for the book’s 11 handsome illustrations. The quotations themselves came from his extensive files, collected over a 40-year career.
“He had a secretary keep a file,” Hodges’ son Clark explains. “The file was about four inches thick. He would tear out the quotes from whatever he read, and then bring in the paper and give it to the secretary.”
After reading Horse Sense, you’ll be glad he did.
