greatest wisdom book

Chapter 10 Virtue, Lovely and Terrible Book 3
Humility doesn't take away one's own greatness

Don't be dissatisfied with yourself all your life, it's a sign of timidity; don't be complacent, it's a sign of stupidity.Homer also dozed off, and Alexander was awakened from his arrogance by failure.Excessive self-confidence is actually a kind of ignorance, which can lead to a fool's happiness and a person's momentary happiness, but it is actually often damaging to reputation.

Feeling good about yourself too much is tantamount to admitting your stupidity.Self-righteous people are the easiest to get hotheaded. They are often full of illusions, only believe in their own wisdom and ability, and firmly believe that only they are correct; they never accept other people's opinions and advice, and think that adopting other people's opinions is equal to their own. Deny and belittle.In fact, such people are usually strong on the outside, but their stubbornness just proves that they are not really strong. Because of their guilty conscience, they are unwilling to admit defeat.

Prudent people are most afraid of taking credit and never flaunt themselves. Firstly, they can avoid becoming a "big tree" and avoid the predicament of "the wind will destroy it". Second, they are often afraid of frequent mistakes in the future due to temporary blindness or joy , It is detrimental to the reputation, so they always remain humble, and instead win more respect for themselves.

Soichiro Honda is the founder of the famous Honda car series in Japan.He made great contributions to the development of the Japanese automobile and motorcycle industry, and was awarded the "First Class Ruibao Medal" by the Emperor of Japan.In Japan's automobile manufacturing industry, Soichiro Honda is a very influential heavyweight.

But no one is perfect. In 1965, within the Honda Institute of Technology, there was a heated debate over whether the internal combustion engine of a car should be "water-cooled" or "air-cooled".Honda is a supporter of "air cooling", so the newly developed N360 sedan uses "air cooling" internal combustion engines.

In 1968, at the Formula One Championship held in France, a driver drove Honda's "air-cooled" racing car.On the third lap, the car lost control due to excessive speed. After the car hit the fence, the fuel tank exploded and the driver was burned to death.The incident caused a sharp drop in sales of Honda's "air-cooled" N360 car.The technicians asked to study the "water-cooled" type, which was still rejected by Honda.In a fit of anger, several key technicians were ready to resign.

Fujisawa, the vice president of Honda, felt that the situation was serious, so he called Honda himself: "Do you think it is more important for you to be the president or a technician in the company?" Length is important."

Fujisawa said mercilessly: "Then agree with them to develop water-cooled engines." is the product.Then, those who are qualified to give opinions on automotive products should also be technicians.So Honda had to say, "Okay!"

Later, due to the development of products adapted to the market, Honda's sales volume increased significantly.Those technicians who wanted to resign at the beginning were all entrusted with important tasks by Honda.

In 1971, Honda entered the track of healthy development.One day, Nishida, a middle-level manager of the company, talked with Honda and said: "I think the middle-level leaders of the company have grown up. Have you considered training successors?" wishes.

When Honda heard this, he repeatedly said: "You are right, I would have forgotten if I didn't remind me, it is indeed time to step down, why not resign today!" Due to the handover procedures, Honda removed the chairman of the board after a few months. The seat was given to Kawashima Hobby.

If a person is too conceited, it is easy to fall into an inexplicable narcissism and become conceited. He will ignore everyone's dissatisfaction and reminders, and immerse himself in self-satisfaction all day long. Everything will be self-righteous, and it is difficult for such a person not to be understood and respected by people.Truly great people treat others with humility and seek knowledge with humility, and they know that doing so will win more admiration.

In a noisy waiting room in New York, USA, an old man with a tired face sat on the seat near the door. The dust on his back and the mud on his shoes indicated that he had walked a long way.The train entered the station and began to check the ticket. The old man stood up unhurriedly, ready to go to the ticket gate.Suddenly, a fat lady walked in from the waiting room. She was carrying a big suitcase, and she obviously wanted to catch this train, but the suitcase was too heavy, and she was out of breath.The fat lady saw the old man and yelled at him: "Hey, old man, carry the suitcase for me, and I will give you a tip later." The old man picked up the suitcase and walked towards the ticket gate with the fat lady without even thinking about it. .

As soon as they checked their tickets and got on the train, the train started to move.The fat lady wiped off her sweat and said thankfully, "It's really thanks to you, otherwise I would have missed the bus." Then, she took out 1 dollar and handed it to the old man, who took it with a smile.At this time, the train conductor came over and said, "Mr. Rockefeller, what can I do for you?"

"Thank you, no need, I just did a three-day hiking trip, and now I'm going back to the New York headquarters." The old man replied politely.

"What? Rockefeller?" The fat lady exclaimed, "God, I asked Mr. Rockefeller, the famous oil magnate, to carry my suitcase and even gave him a $1 tip. What am I doing?" Rockefeller apologized, and sincerely asked Rockefeller to return the $1 tip to her.

"Madam, you don't have to apologize, you have done nothing wrong." Rockefeller said with a smile, "I earned this one dollar, so I accept it." Saying that, Rockefeller solemnly put the one dollar into his pocket inside.

Excellent people do not need to flaunt their own excellence, nor do they need to show themselves, because excellence does not require the approval of others.A person's noble personality is usually not created by others' flattery and praise, but shaped by his own behavior.Humility does not deny one's greatness, on the contrary, self-promotion reveals one's meanness and emptiness.

(End of this chapter)