Mardy Grothe - Neverisms

Never ever ever go to see the boss about a problem

without bringing along a proposed solution.WALTER KIECHEL III, in a 1984 BusinessWeek article

in which he added, “Better yet, three solutions.”

Never, never be afraid to do what’s right,

especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake.MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

This is one of Dr. King’s most frequently quoted thoughts, but I have been unable to find an original source. He added: “Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

Never—ever—leave home without your pad and pen.TIM LEMIRE, in his 2006 career guide

I’m an English Major—Now What?

Never, never, never be a cynic, even a gentle one.

Never help out a sneer, even at the devil.VACHEL LINDSAY

Never, never pass up an opportunity to meet new people.

Your antennae should be up your whole life.HARVEY B. MACKAY, in Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty: The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need (1997)

Never, EVER use logic on a pregnant woman.

I’m telling you right now: Just shut up and take it.CHRIS MANCINI, in Pacify Me: A Handbook

for the Freaked-Out New Dad (2009)

Never, ever overprogram or overschedule

your child’s time with too many activities.PHIL MCGRAW, in Family First: Your Step-by-Step

Plan for Creating a Phenomenal Family (2004)

Later in the book, McGraw offered the following advice about how to handle a family crisis: “Never, ever, turn on one another, put family relationships on the line, or cave into pressure. Instead, close ranks and support one another.”

Never, ever let an attractive woman

hold a power position in your home.JULIANNE MOORE, in the 1992 film

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

Moore, as Marlene Craven, offered this warning to Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra) about hiring the sexy Peyton Flanders (Rebecca De Mornay) as a nanny. She was right.

Never, Ever Step on a Spider NANCY NICHOLSON, title of her 2003 book

You shouldn’t point a loaded gun at anyone.

(This is not an absolutely rigid rule. An absolutely rigid rule is:

Never, ever, point an unloaded gun at anyone).P. J. O’ROURKE, from Modern Manners:

An Etiquette Book for Rude People (1983)

It is absolutely vital never, never, never

to panic when facing an upsetting situation.NORMAN VINCENT PEALE, from

The Positive Principle Today (2003)

Peale was fond of neverisms, and occasionally dabbled in multiple ones. In his 1997 book You Can If You Think You Can (1997), he offered this Churchillian thought: “Never—never—settle for defeat.”

Never, EVER, Serve Sugary Snacks on Rainy Days SHIRLEY RAINES, title of 1995 book,

subtitled The Official Little Instruction

Book for Teachers of Young Children

Never give back the ring. Never. Swallow it first.JOAN RIVERS, on broken engagements

If you want your relationship to last,

never, never, never, ever threaten the relationship itself.ANTHONY ROBBINS,

in Awaken the Giant Within (1991)

Never, never, you must never either of you

remind a man at work on a political job that he may be President.THEODORE ROOSEVELT

According to Lincoln Steffens, this was Roosevelt’s angry reply in 1895 when Steffens and fellow journalist Jacob Riis asked the popular New York City police commissioner if he had presidential aspirations. Roosevelt, who became incensed at the suggestion that he might be a political opportunist, went on to explain: “It almost always kills him politically. He loses his nerve; he can’t do his work; he gives up the very traits that are making him a possibility.” Then, after pausing for a moment and thinking about what he was saying, he frankly admitted: I must be wanting to be President. Every young man does. But I won’t let myself think of it; I must not, because if I do, I will begin to work for it; I’ll be careful, calculating, cautious in word and act, and so — I’ll beat myself.

Never, ever disrespect your opponent or your teammates

or your organization or your manager,

and never, ever your uniform.RYNE SANDBERG, Chicago Cubs infielder

and 2005 Hall of Fame inductee

Never, never, never give up!

Patience and perseverance are the crowning qualities

of self-confident champions.ROBERT H. SCHULLER, channeling Winston Churchill,

in Hours of Power (2004)

You’re bigger than you think. So fit your thinking to your true size.

Think as big as you really are! Never, never, never sell yourself short.DAVID J. SCHWARTZ,

in The Magic of Thinking Big (1987)

Never lie. Ever.NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF, a “rule for leaders,”

offered in a January 1992 issue of Inc. magazine.

Never, never waste a minute on regret.

It’s a waste of time.HARRY S TRUMAN

When you use a prepared text,

never, never, never speak those words without first making

them your friends through constant and persistent attention.JACK VALENTI, in his 1982 book Speak Up with Confidence:

How to Prepare, Learn, and Deliver Effective Speeches

Never compete. Never.DIANA VREELAND

The legendary fashion adviser finished off her advice by adding, “Watching the other guy is what kills all forms of energy.” Vreeland was the Harper’s Bazaar fashion editor in 1960 when she began to help future first lady Jacqueline Kennedy create the famous “Jackie Look” (a few years later, Mrs. Kennedy wrote in a letter to Vreeland: “You are and always will be my fashion mentor”). Her involvement with the fashionable first lady, along with her later role as editor-in-chief at Vogue magazine, helped make her one of the most influential voices in the history of style and fashion.

Never underestimate, never, ever, ever, underestimate what you

might be able to share in two minutes that can change lives forever.ROBIN WEBBER, in a 2003 sermon that used

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address as an example

Never, oh never, indulge in telling wife jokes.

It is in exceptionally poor taste.ZIG ZIGLAR, in See You at the Top

(twenty-fifth anniversary edition, 2000)

Ziglar introduced the thought by writing: “Remember: Your wife wants a man she can look up to—but not one who looks down on her.”

eight

Never Persist in Trying to Set People Right

Human Relationships

On November 1, 1955, Dale Carnegie died at age sixty-six in Forest Hills, New York. At his death, he was regarded as one of history’s most successful authors and a pioneering figure in what is now called the “self-help” movement. Born as Dale Carnagey in 1888 on a family farm in Missouri, he was raised in humble circumstances, but began to entertain lofty dreams for himself after reading the Horatio Alger and other rags-to-riches stories that were popular at the time.