Quotable Quotes: Ann Landers
by Miki Saxon
I’ve always liked advice columns, as much for the duh factor of those writing as for the level of common sense they often display. These days I read Carolyn Hax, but when I was young the reigning queens were a pair of twin sisters, Eppie Lederer, writing as Ann Landers, and Pauline Phillips, writing as Dear Abby, AKA, Abigail Van Buren. Today we’ll take a look at Landers in conjunction with the business world; next week her sister.
Let’s start with some great advice on dealing with the irritating elements found in every workplace—usually people, “There are really only three types of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say, “What happened?””
And moving on to how to deal with them, “Nobody says you must laugh, but a sense of humor can help you overlook the unattractive, tolerate the unpleasant, cope with the unexpected, and smile through the day.”
Networking is a necessity of business life and Landers offers up a golden rule for doing it. “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” Take this to heart and watch your networking ROI skyrocket.
Here are three pieces of golden advice, whether you are building a career in the corporate world or as an entrepreneur.
- “Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies.”
- “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.”
- “Know when to tune out, if you listen to too much advice you may wind up making other peoples mistakes.”
And some personal advice that I hope you never forget,“The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie”
In a world where ego and self-focus has run amok, Lander’s uses humor to remind people to reign in their egos.
She reminds us of the importance of looking in the mirror first, instead of assuming the problem is someone else, “One out of four people in this country is mentally unbalanced. Think of your three closes friends; if they seem OK, then you’re the one.”
And I’m pretty sure her final thought is just as applicable if you don’t have a dog, “Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.”
Image credit: Wikimedia
