Horace on Right Now
“Carpe diem. Quam minimum credula postero.”
–Horace (65B.C.–8B.C.)
Roman poet
Sales inspiration…
Tomorrow (Feb. 22), in 1899, in one hour after dinner, Elbert Hubbard wrote a 1500-word essay (10-minute read) titled "A Message to Garcia."
It’s one of our favorites (so much so, we included it in SalesTough).
A right tale of initiative and responsibility, the piece went on to be printed more than 40 million era (it’s still well-known with the huge dogs of business and required reading for Marine Corps recruits and Naval Academy students).
Hubbard’s first sales job… selling soap.
Read it online or download a free copy (share it with your team).
Got young kids? Download and read them the children’s version we made (Rowan to the Rescue).
(Here’s the recently produced PBS program on Hubbard. Chapter 8, Hubbard’s Rise, is the segment on the Garcia tale.)
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"Seize the day" is probably the best known translation of "Carpe diem" (maybe because of this fantastic scene from Dead Poet’s Society?). Some other translations of Horace’s verse (from Ode XI) include "Harvest the day", "Pluck the day" and "Snatch the sleeve of to-day."
The point is to take advantage of the present as much as doable. (That last line means "innocent as small as doable in tomorrow.")
Now go sell something.~>