Teddy Roosevelt's Greatest Quote; Happy New Year Too

Man in suit standing talking to three people seated paying attention

B/c we are all essentially in “sales” one way or another, I am always inspired by exceptionally effective salespeople.

However, many of us forget that the most effective salespeople in history are often activists or politicians.

Abraham Lincoln, for example, had to convince an entire nation to sacrifice its youth to keep that nation together in the face of enormous opposition.

Similarly, Churchill had to convince the United Kingdom to continue to fight Nazi Germany when the odds seemed 100% stacked against them and when many of his political opponents were pushing hard for capitulation.

Other examples include Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King who had to convince their supporters to risk everything to further their very just causes.

And finally, Teddy Roosevelt was one of the best ever when it came to selling his many initiatives that included stronger defense, land conservation, antitrust, and much stronger food and labor regulations.

T.R.’s amazing ability to sell is one of the reasons why I love this quote by him: “People Don’t Care How Much You Know Until They Know How Much You Care.”

It is an excellent reminder that no matter how much we know or how hard we work, we still need to convey sincere empathy to truly be successful.

T.R’s understanding of this fact is one of the reasons why he was so effective as a reformist president.