If I Could Tell You Just One Thing . . .: Encounters with Remarkable People and Their Most Valuable Advice

by Richard Reed

“I am punctual—that’s probably the most useful lesson I ever learned. It is the first evidence of your character I have: are you the sort of person who says they’re going to do something and then doesn’t? Being on time is the first thing I require of my cooks. If you have problems doing that, chances are I’m wasting my time showing you how to make hollandaise sauce. It’s the same in social relationships—do you have enough respect for me to show up on time, or do you not? If you don’t, we’re probably going to have problems down the line.”

“If you don’t like the people you work with, you’ll end up fucking miserable. Any accrued benefits are kind of worthless because your life will be shit. If you’re dealing with assholes the whole time, you’ll die of a heart attack. You know the people I’m talking about—the ones that when you see their caller ID you think, ‘Oh fuck, I don’t want to talk to them.’ Well, don’t do business with those people. Mikey Corleone said it isn’t personal, it’s business. Bullshit: all business is personal.”

“If I’m at your house and you offer me something to eat I don’t particularly like, I’m going to smile and eat it. Try to be a good guest, try to be grateful, be a good guy, don’t be a dick.”

“The lowliest-looking person is filled with gifts and talents beyond your imagination. Love such people as yourself. Those living on the margins of society do not need to have their problems solved for them; they just need to be given the opportunities to solve them themselves. And in doing so, they will often also solve the problems of others.”