The American Beauty Rose can be produced in the splendor and fragrance which bring cheer to its beholder only by sacrificing the early buds which grow up around it. This is not an evil tendency in business. It is merely the working-out of a law of nature and a law of God.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Success in business often requires sacrificing lesser elements to foster greater outcomes, likened to pruning roses.
- In plain terms
- Business needs to cut away small things to help the big things grow, like cutting rose buds.
- What can you take from it?
- Strategic elimination of less important tasks is necessary for growth and success.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What is worth sacrificing for growth?
- Is business naturally ruthless?
Another view
Comparing business to nature can oversimplify ethical complexities.
More from John D. Rockefeller
I would rather hire a man with enthusiasm, than a man who knows everything.
Permalink to quote #3 The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets
Permalink to quote #5 I don't want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers.
Permalink to quote #2
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