Brevity is the soul of wit. The article (not even a book, only 2.5 pages!) “Message to Garcia” was written in 1899. It has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and is ranked 10th in the Guinness Book of Records for the most read book. "Message to Garcia" is a reference book for reading in the morning.
This is another Hubbard, but the uncle of the same one...
Elbert Greene Hubbard (1856-1915) - American writer, publisher, artist and philosopher. His quotes and sayings have long become catchphrases and have been added to many collections of aphorisms. He was one of the key figures in the artistic movement known as the Arts and Crafts Movement, but he is best known for his essay "A Message to Garcia."
"Out of all this mess in Cuba (the war for Cuban independence between Spain and the United States of America in 1898), I remember one person who stands out from the rest just as Mars, at its zenith, stands out in the starry sky. When the war broke out between Spain and the United States, there was an urgent need for quick communication with the rebel leaders. García was somewhere in the fortifications in the mountains on the island of Cuba, but no one had the slightest idea where exactly. There was no contact with him either by mail or using the telegraph. The President needed to enlist his support, and quickly. What to do?
War between Spain and the United States of America in 1898. Reports of Spanish mistreatment of the indigenous people of Cuba caused great discontent on the part of the United States. The war began with the invasion of American troops on behalf of Cuba. The United States won easily.
President - William McKinley (1843–1901), twenty-fifth President of the United States (1897–1901); was President of the United States during the Spanish-American War).
Calisto García Iniguez (1836?–1898), Cuban lawyer, soldier and revolutionary. He led the Cuban army in battle in the Spanish-American War (1898). Represented Cuba in negotiations with the United States on the topic of Cuban independence (1898).
And someone then said to the President: “There is a man named Rowan who will find Garcia for you at any cost.” Rowan was sent for and given a letter to deliver to the general. How exactly “a guy named Rowan” took the letter, sealed it in a piece of oiled leather, tied it with ropes to his chest, and also how four days later he sailed on a boat to Cuba, landed on the shore at night, disappeared into the jungle and three weeks later appeared on the other end of the island, having walked across a vast country and delivered a letter to Garcia - I have no particular desire to tell. But I want to note the following: McKinley gave Rowan a letter that needed to be delivered to Garcia, Rowan took the letter and went to carry out the order, without even asking: “Where can I find this Garcia?” This man should have a bronze monument erected and his statue placed in all colleges and schools throughout the country.
Lieutenant Andrew Summers Rowan (1857–1943). After a successful mission, Rowan was promoted to the rank of U.S. lieutenant colonel. In Cuba during the war he was awarded the Cross for distinguished service. After the Spanish-American War, he served in the 19th Infantry in the Philippine Islands, where he was awarded the Silver Star. Resigned from the US Army in 1909. The film “Message to Garcia”, 1936, was made about him. Posthumously inducted into the United States Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.
And it’s not about what a young man who sits and studies books needs, not about all kinds of instructions about this or that, but about gritting his teeth, becoming devoted, acting quickly, gathering his strength and energy... and executing the task is to deliver a message to Garcia.
General Garcia is no longer alive, but there are always other Garcias. There is probably no one among you who has ever taken on something that required the participation of many people, and after some time, would not be horrified by the dementia and helplessness of the average person, his inability, lack of readiness and desire to concentrate on this matter and carry it out.
Sloppy assistance, stupid carelessness, a careless and indifferent attitude, and work done without a soul seem to have become something taken for granted. Today, no one achieves success unless he puts a knife to the throat of someone else or bribes him to help him, without counting on the Lord having mercy and working a miracle by sending him a good angel to help him.
You, the reader, can subject my words to a simple test. Here you are sitting in your office, you have six clerks at your disposal. Call any of them and give him the following task: “Please look in the encyclopedia and provide me with a brief summary of the life of Correggio” (Antonio Allegri da Correggio (1494–1534), Italian painter). You'd think the clerk would simply say calmly, "Yes, sir!" - will he go and complete your task? Never in my life! He will look up at you with his dull gaze and ask you at least one of these questions:
And who is it? And in which encyclopedia?
Where can I get an encyclopedia?
Was I hired for this?
Do you mean Bismarck? (Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898), German political leader and first Chancellor (head of government) of Germany from 1871 to 1890)
Why not entrust this to Charlie?
Is he alive?
Is this urgent?
Or maybe I’ll bring you a book and you can take a look for yourself?
Why is this needed?
And I'll bet ten to one that after you answer these questions and tell him where to find the encyclopedia and why you need it, the clerk will go and ask another clerk to help him find Garcia, and then come back and say what's wrong man does not exist. Of course, I might lose this bet, but on average I won't lose it. And, if you're smart enough, you won't bother explaining to your "assistant" that Correggio should be looked for on "Kor" and not "Kar" - you'll just smile very nicely and say, "Okay, no need." go and find the information you are interested in.
Inability to act independently, stupidity, weak character, reluctance to joyfully take up the accomplishment of some task - it is the absence of this that has advanced socialism so far. If people are not willing to act for their own sake, what will they do when it comes to the good of everyone?
Perhaps a deputy with a baton or the grim prospect of being thrown into the street on a Saturday night will keep some of your employees in the workplace, but shout out that you need a stenographer, and nine out of ten candidates will turn out to be illiterate, although they themselves will be absolutely sure that they can write and use commas correctly. Would such a person be able to deliver a letter to Garcia?
Do you see that accountant over there? - one foreman asked me at a large factory.
Yes, why?
So, as an accountant, he’s still nothing, but if I send him to the city on some errand, even if he carries it out, he’ll stop at four taverns on the way, and when he gets to the right street, he’ll forget why he was sent.
Can such a person be trusted to deliver a message to Garcia? Not long ago we heard sentimental appeals for sympathy for the "oppressed slum dwellers" and "unemployed vagabonds looking for honest employers" and all other heresy addressed to those in power. But for some reason no one says anything about the employer who manages to grow old in vain attempts to get these same ragamuffins to do at least a little reasonable work? About his long patience in the hope of getting at least some help from these very “helpers” who do nothing else but laze around behind his back.
In every workshop and every factory there is a continuous selection process. The employer constantly turns away “helpers” who have demonstrated their inability to advance the interests of the common cause, and recruits new people. No matter how well things are going, this selection happens all the time. Perhaps, in times when things are going well, this selection occurs more gently. However, those who are incompetent and unworthy will invariably drop out. This happens for the sake of the survival of those who are worth something. It is this interest that forces every employer to retain the best - those who are able to deliver a message to Garcia.
I knew one man who had truly brilliant qualities, but was completely incapable of managing his own affairs and was of no value to anyone, because he always had the crazy idea that his employer was going to oppress him, or was already oppressing him. He was unable to give orders and was unwilling to receive them. If he were ordered to deliver a message to Garcia, his answer would most likely be: “Deliver it yourself!”
Today this man walks the streets in search of work and the wind blows through the holes of his torn raincoat. None of those who knew him would dare to take him to work, since he was a known troublemaker. Appeals to common sense have no effect on him, and the only thing that can leave any mark on him is the toe of a size forty-five tarpaulin boot.
Of course, I know that such a morally corrupt person can only be treated with pity, like a cripple. However, while we regret it, let us also shed a tear for those who strive to do something great, whose working hours are not limited to working from bell to bell, whose hair turns gray because they struggle with carelessness, sloppiness, indifference, dementia, helplessness and heartless ingratitude, regarding those who are ready to starve and remain homeless for the sake of their business.
Perhaps I put it in too dark a tone. Maybe. But in our time, when the world has become so degraded, I would like to say a word about those who achieve success - all those who, despite everything, direct the strength of other people in the right direction, and about those who, having achieved success, treat it as something taken for granted - that is, no more than to your housing or clothes.
I myself was both a day laborer and an employer. I know there are things that can be said from both points of view. Who can argue - there is nothing good in poverty, and no one envyes torn rags. But also agree that not all employers are insatiable looters and oppressors - just as not all poor people are virtuous angels.
I admire those who get their work done when their boss is not standing over them, or even when their boss is at home. And also those who, when he is handed a message for Garcia, calmly takes it and, without asking idiotic questions, without any hidden or obvious discontent and without the intention of throwing this letter into the nearest ditch, does only what is required of him - that is, delivers this letter to its destination. And also those who do not quit their jobs and do not go on strike to get a salary increase.
Civilization is a long, anxious search for such people. But whatever such a person asks for, he will receive. Such people are needed in every city, in every village, in every office, workshop, store, factory. The world needs people like this. Very necessary. People who are able to deliver a message to Garcia."
What is criticism? When does she speak up? Useful recommendations for those who do not want to be upset by the negative statements of others
How to avoid criticism? This question, perhaps, interests everyone who has at least once not only heard criticism addressed to them, but has also been upset because of it. Criticism, unlike feedback, is aimed at humiliating and clearly demonstrating the shortcomings of another person. It’s one thing when you yourself ask to express your opinion, and another when the interlocutor rudely and harshly expresses a desire to tell you what he thinks about you. In the latter case, you are faced with criticism, which is often supported by negative emotions and bad words. A person rarely expresses criticism while in a good mood. Accordingly, criticism is a consequence of the influence of negative emotions that do not force one to say good things about another.
There is only one way to avoid criticism: don’t think, don’t say, don’t do anything and don’t strive for anything. Although even here one can hear dissatisfaction. If you do, you are criticized, if you do nothing, they still criticize: what conclusion can be drawn? You will always be criticized, in any situation and state of affairs. There will always be those who will be dissatisfied, no matter how ideal, perfect, rich and affable you are. Accordingly, you can live the way it suits you, and simply ignore criticism.
“They don’t criticize those who have not been with us for a long time” - although even the dead are sometimes remembered with an unkind word. You should have never been born at all, so that no one would see, hear or know anything about you. This is the only way you would never become a victim of criticism.
If you are reading this article or someone is retelling it to you in their own words, then you exist. This means that with some of your qualities, desires, actions and image you do not fit into someone else’s picture of the world. Should you be upset? Not worth it. You can simply not look at you and not contact you if someone doesn’t like something. All people have the right to live the way they want and achieve their goals. And the fact that someone doesn’t like it is not your problem, but that person’s concern.
Elbert Hubbard Elbert Hubbard
(1859-1915) businessman, writer Atlas could not hold the world if he thought about its size. There was a man who thought he was superior to me; and he was taller than me until he started thinking like that. A widow who remarries does not deserve her happiness. Genius has its limits; stupidity is free from such restrictions. Girls, religion, words, art and politics are good if taken in moderation, but bad if taken in overdose. The business of government is to make all government superfluous, just as smart parents teach their children to do without them. If you have nothing to answer your opponent, all is not lost: you can tell him what you think of him. If you want something done well, find a busy person; everyone else has no time. A woman brought a man out of paradise, and only a woman can return him to paradise. Others are able to look so busy without doing anything that they are considered indispensable. Is he sincere? Probably not, if he constantly asks this question, no matter who it is about. Each of us is a fool for at least five minutes a day; wisdom is not to exceed the limit. A comedy can be performed alone. Melodrama requires two, but tragedy requires three. He who does no more than what he is paid for will never get more than what he gets. He who does not understand your silence will hardly understand your words. People are punished not for their sins, but by the sins themselves. Small minds are interested in the extraordinary; the great - the most ordinary. A man is only as good as he is required to be, and a woman is only as bad as she dares to be. Don't be a slave to the law - be the law. Don't take life too seriously. You still won't get out of it alive. Never make excuses. Your friends don’t need it, but your enemies still won’t believe it. No one needs a vacation more than a person who has just returned from vacation. One machine can do the work of five ordinary people; no machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. Desperate to become happy and powerful and to torment others, we invent a conscience and torment ourselves. True loneliness is the presence of a person who does not understand you. Many people's reputations would be transferred to the other side of the street if they happened to meet by chance. The worst thing about drugs is that any one of them leads to another. Laugh with others, not at others. The preacher's efforts are little more successful than chasing a celluloid dog after an asbestos cat in hellfire. If you want to avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing and be nothing. The worst mistake you can make in life is to be afraid of making a mistake all the time. The purpose of education is to teach how to do without a teacher. The Church saves sinners, and science looks for ways to stop their production. To accomplish great and important work, two things are necessary: a clear plan and limited time. I have never heard of a person who gave up living because of the high cost of living. At the hippodrome, only one person does not lose - with a broom and dustpan. A miracle is an event described by people who heard about it from those who did not see it. Administrator: a person who makes quick decisions - and sometimes correct ones. Time: universal fixative and solvent. Genius: Any person whose birth anniversary is widely celebrated approximately one hundred years after he was crucified, burned, stoned, or otherwise killed. Pharisee: a person who has more piety than he needs for his own use. Philosopher: one who formulates his prejudices and systematizes his ignorance. Man: the crown of Creation; and who said this? Genius: The ability to do something correctly for the first time. Gentleman: a person who is friendly with those who have no friends. Diplomat: A man whose “maybe” means “no,” as opposed to a woman whose “maybe” means “yes.” Home: A place where you go to change clothes before going somewhere else. Friend: a person who knows everything about us and still loves us. Truth: An imaginary line dividing an error into two parts. Truth: a prejudice that has managed to become an axiom. Competition: the life of trade and the death of traders. Conservative: a person too cowardly to fight and too fat to run. Troubles: something interesting to talk about. Parvenu: a person who worked his way up by starting from scratch, and therefore became a zero. Pessimism: the name that people of weak nerves give to wisdom. Copycat: A person who has succeeded in becoming an imitation. Polygamy: An attempt to get more out of life than there is in it. Editor: A newspaper employee who separates the wheat from the chaff and sends the chaff to print. Specialist: a person who has chosen for himself some narrow area of ignorance. Happiness: when you forget yourself in some aimless effort. Die: suddenly stop sinning.
(Source: “Aphorisms. Golden Fund of Wisdom.” Eremishin O. - M.: Education; 2006.)
. Academician 2011.
See what "Elbert Hubbard" is in other dictionaries:
- (Hubbard) Hubbard (Hubbard) Elbert Green (1856 1915) English writer. Aphorisms, quotes The best service a book can serve you is not only to convey the truth, but also to make you think about it. If the employee always agrees with... ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
Hubbard is a common surname. In the English version by Hubbard. Sometimes found as a result of incorrect transcription of the surname Hubbard (Hebbard) L. Ron Hubbard is an American science fiction writer, founder of the Church of Scientology and ... ... Wikipedia
ANCIENT WORLD Ancient Egypt Unknown authors Assyria Ahikar Ancient Greece Thales of Miletus Solon Pittacus Biantus Cleobulus Chilon Anacharsis Agathon Anaxagoras of Clazomenius Antisthenes Apelles ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
Not a common topic. However, you can list a number of products... Wikipedia
These are the efforts of men to simplify the work so that women can do it. Automation creates new areas of employment: more and more people are needed to correct errors. Automation has created completely new areas of unemployment... ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
This is centralized planning carried out by many independent individuals. Friedrich Hayek Competition brings out the best quality products and brings out the worst qualities in people. David Sarnoff Competition is the life of trade and death... ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
Constructive criticism: when I criticize you. Destructive criticism: when you criticize me. Any fool can criticize, and many of them do just that. Cyril Garbett Even when I am paralyzed, I will criticize someone else's... ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
By getting married, a man and a woman become one person, the only question is which one. Henry Louis Mencken Two people combine, and the result is two times half a person. Wayne Dyer A marriage can be considered ideal if the wife is a treasure and the husband is a treasure... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
Nobody wants to be lonely even in heaven. Italian saying: To be an adult is to be lonely. Jean Rostand Man cannot live alone, and in the same way he cannot live in society. Georges Duhamel When it comes to what matters most, a man is always alone... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
Vacation: free time given to employees to let them know that the job can do without them at all other times. Louis Fortin Vacation: two weeks on the beach and fifty broke. Leonard Louis Levinson When the Flood began... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
« He who has convinced them of his love for them deserves the right to subject people to the harshest criticism.." Gandhi M.
« In order to avoid criticism, you must do nothing, say nothing and be nothing." Hubbard A.
« Just as a medicine fails to achieve its goal if the dose is too large, so does blame and criticism when it exceeds the measure of justice.." Schopenhauer A.
« Being able to work in a team is first and foremost the right thing to do. accept criticism and do not hesitate to criticize the mistakes of others." Zelinsky N.
« The critic must be ready and able, at any moment and at the first request, to take the place of the one he criticizes and carry out his work productively and competently; otherwise criticism turns into an arrogant, self-sufficient force and becomes a brake on the path of cultural progress." Weller M.
« Criticism, of course, can ruin any thought." Kapitsa P.
« The best reaction to enemy criticism is to smile and forget." Nabokov V.
"When somebody you in something reproaches, he shows what could be your advantage." Verber B.
« Criticism is poison for the weak and medicine for the strong.." Melikhan K.
“Few people have the wisdom to prefer beneficial criticism to deceptive praise.” La Rochefoucauld
« A smart person does not criticize the strong." Confucius
“The critic lulls you to sleep with chloroform of praise, and then operates.” Izhikovsky K.
« Remember that it is unfair criticism is often disguised a compliment." Dale Carnegie
« I absolutely cannot stand criticism in my direction. Therefore, if you want to criticize me, it’s better to start like this: Oh, this is a masterpiece, and then gradually, slowly, explain my possible mistakes in the script." Robbins T.
« If you do the wrong thing, and no one reprimands you, it means that they simply gave up on you. When you realize that something If you do something bad, but no one says anything to you, this is a bad sign. Maybe you don’t want to hear criticism, but most often we are criticized by those who really love us, who care about us." Remarque M.
FUNNY AND FUNSTATEMENTS, APHORISMS AND QUOTES ABOUT CRITICISM
« Criticism should be criticism, not shouting! Borisov V.
« Shouts of disapproval are always louder than applause. If ten people applaud and one boos, then all you will hear is booing." Armstrong L.
« Constructive criticism : when I criticize you.Destructive criticism : when you criticize me.»
« You should never cut your beard in front of two people. One will say that it is very short, and the other that it is very long..»
« Onresponded to criticism correctly: eliminated those pointing out deficiencies." Mamchich M.
« Women criticize men for being insensitive, inconsiderate, unable to listen, not showing warmth, not loving enough, preferring sex to love in bed, and leaving the toilet lid up.
Men criticize women for being bad drivers, not knowing how to read a road map and trying to read it upside down, for lacking a sense of direction, fortalkativenessand the inability to separate the main from the secondary in a story, for rarely asking for sex, and for constantly lowering the toilet lid." Piz A.
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American writer, philosopher, publisher, artist - Elbert Greene Hubbard was born on June 19, 1856, Bloomington, Illinois, USA, in the family of Silas Hubbard and Juliana Frances Reed.
Hubbard was a key figure in the artistic movement known as the Arts and Crafts Movement, but he is best known for his essay "Message to Garcia." And his quotes and sayings have long become catchphrases and have been added to many collections of aphorisms.
His first business was selling the products of the Larkin Soap Company in his hometown, which eventually led him to Buffalo, New York, where the company was headquartered, for which Hubbard came up with a number of innovations.
His most famous works were created after Hubbard founded Roycroft, a commune for followers of the Arts and Crafts Movement in East Aurora, New York in 1895.
Hubbard edited and published two magazines, and also operated a fine bookbinding shop, a furniture workshop and store, a leather tanning shop, and a brass forging shop.
In 1881, Hubbard's wife became Bertha Crawford Hubbard, who later survived her husband by 31 years. They had four children, and Bertha herself became one of the founders of Roycroft, but the marriage ended in divorce when she caught her husband cheating with Alice Moore, a local teacher.
After the divorce, Hubbard removed Bertha from the business, despite the respect and influence she enjoyed in the community, and replaced her with Ellis, who became his second wife in 1904.
Roycroft's workshops became a venue for meetings and conventions of radicals, free thinkers, reformers and suffragettes. Hubbard became a popular lecturer, and his homespun philosophy evolved from free socialism to a passionate defense of free enterprise and American technology.
Hubbard was often mocked in the press, saying that he had sold out to capitalism, which he so stridently denied. He was very harshly criticized for saying that prison is a socialist paradise where equality reigns, needs are met and competition is eliminated.
On May 1, 1915, a little more than three years after the sinking of the Titanic, the Hubbards boarded the Lusitania in New York, which was torpedoed by a German submarine on May 7 and sank off the coast of Ireland. Elbert Hubbard and Alice Hubbard were among the 1,198 passengers who failed to escape. Their bodies were not found. An acquaintance who lived through this tragedy then wrote to Hubbard's son that his father and stepmother, completely calm, holding hands as they always walked, came out on deck after the torpedo hit the ship's hull, apparently wondering what to do. As he watched, the Hubbards simply turned around, entered one of the cabins and closed the door behind them. The idea apparently was that it was better to die together than to risk being separated in the water.
It is worth noting that after the sinking of the Titanic, Hubbard especially admired the action of Ida Strauss, who refused to leave her husband and board a lifeboat, sharing his tragic fate.