The Storyteller's Secret Quotes

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Anaphora is effective in the building of a movement because it increases the intensity of an idea, and intense ideas sear themselves into our brain. There’s a reason why Winston Churchill chose anaphora as his go-to rhetorical device to rally the British people in World War II: We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. Business leaders often shy away from anaphora because they believe it’s a tool reserved for political speeches. Actually, anaphora can be seamlessly and comfortably incorporated into business presentations meant to inspire audiences to see the world differently.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“The sequence that made Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Dream Speech” the greatest speech of the twentieth century had all been improvised. The words “I have a dream” are not in the original copy of the speech!”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“At a crucial point of the Battle of Britain, when German warplanes were bombing London daily, every available British aircraft was in the sky to stop the planes from reaching the city. As Churchill sat in a car with his military secretary he said, “Don’t speak to me. I have never been so moved.” Churchill sat quietly for five minutes. He then turned to his secretary and asked him to write down a thought that would become one of the most famous quotes of World War II: “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.”6 Only four words in that sentence are more than one syllable and, in six words, Churchill told the entire story of British courage and what it meant to the rest of the world: so much, so many, so few. Those six words summarize stories that fill entire books. “So much” stands for freedom, democracy, and liberty—much of which would have been eliminated if Hitler had not been stopped. “So many” represents the entire population of the British empire at the time and those who lived in the countries Hitler invaded. “So few” is a reference to a small number of English pilots, many of whom were killed in the skies as they defended their homeland.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Hardy reinforces his narrative with stories of heroes who didn’t have the right education, the right connections, and who could have been counted out early as not having the DNA for success: “Richard Branson has dyslexia and had poor academic performance as a student. Steve Jobs was born to two college students who didn’t want to raise him and gave him up for adoption. Mark Cuban was born to an automobile upholsterer. He started as a bartender, then got a job in software sales from which he was fired.”8 The list goes on. Hardy reminds his readers that “Suze Orman’s dad was a chicken farmer. Retired General Colin Powell was a solid C student. Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, was born in a housing authority in the Bronx … Barbara Corcoran started as a waitress and admits to being fired from more jobs than most people hold in a lifetime. Pete Cashmore, the CEO of Mashable, was sickly as a child and finished high school two years late due to medical complications. He never went to college.” What do each of these inspiring leaders and storytellers have in common? They rewrote their own internal narratives and found great success. “The biographies of all heroes contain common elements. Becoming one is the most important,”9 writes Chris Matthews in Jack Kennedy, Elusive Hero. Matthews reminds his readers that young John F. Kennedy was a sickly child and bedridden for much of his youth. And what did he do while setting school records for being in the infirmary? He read voraciously. He read the stories of heroes in the pages of books by Sir Walter Scott and the tales of King Arthur. He read, and dreamed of playing the hero in the story of his life. When the time came to take the stage, Jack was ready.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Give the Audience Something to Cheer For Austin Madison is an animator and story artist for such Pixar movies as Ratatouille, WALL-E, Toy Story 3, Brave, and others. In a revealing presentation Madison outlined the 7-step process that all Pixar movies follow. 1. Once there was a ___. 3 [A protagonist/ hero with a goal is the most important element of a story.] 2. Every day he ___. [The hero’s world must be in balance in the first act.] 3. Until one day ___. [A compelling story introduces conflict. The hero’s goal faces a challenge.] 4. Because of that ___. [This step is critical and separates a blockbuster from an average story. A compelling story isn’t made up of random scenes that are loosely tied together. Each scene has one nugget of information that compels the next scene.] 5. Because of that ___. 6. Until finally ____. [The climax reveals the triumph of good over evil.] 7. Ever since then ___. [The moral of the story.] The steps are meant to immerse an audience into a hero’s journey and give the audience someone to cheer for. This process is used in all forms of storytelling: journalism, screenplays, books, presentations, speeches. Madison uses a classic hero/ villain movie to show how the process plays out—Star Wars. Here’s the story of Luke Skywalker. Once there was a farm boy who wanted to be a pilot. Every day he helped on the farm. Until one day his family is killed. Because of that he joins legendary Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. Because of that he hires the smuggler Han Solo to take him to Alderaan. Until finally Luke reaches his goal and becomes a starfighter pilot and saves the day. Ever since then Luke’s been on the path to be a Jedi knight. Like millions of others, I was impressed with Malala’s Nobel Peace prize–winning acceptance speech. While I appreciated the beauty and power of her words, it wasn’t until I did the research for this book that I fully understood why Malala’s words inspired me. Malala’s speech perfectly follows Pixar’s 7-step storytelling process. I doubt that she did this intentionally, but it demonstrates once again the theme in this book—there’s a difference between a story, a good story, and a story that sparks movements.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Storytellers like King make a conscious effort to incorporate metaphor into their speeches and presentations—the “promissory note” being just one of many metaphors in King’s speech. Metaphor gave King the tool to “breathe life” into abstract concepts: • “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” • “Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.” • “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.” • No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.”5”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“As Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns points out in his book Satisfaction, “The road to satisfying experiences must necessarily pass through the terrain of discomfort.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“The poet Maya Angelou famously said people will forget what you said and what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Disney’s mission isn’t to build theme parks. It’s to “create happiness.” The Ritz-Carlton isn’t in the business of providing beds for heads, but it’s in the business of fulfilling the expressed and unexpressed wishes of their guests. Starbucks isn’t in the business of coffee as much as it’s in the business to inspire and nurture the human spirit.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“brands are built by embracing their DNA, their unique identity. “It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, identify what makes you unique and interesting and have the courage to be authentic across all of the social media platforms from which you share your story. Be yourself, put out awesome content, and people will be interested in what you have to say.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“If you don’t buy into your story, nobody else will.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Over time culture turns into an incredible competitive advantage that no one can take away from you,” Herrera told me. “If your service is any good at all, people will try to duplicate it. But a great culture is practically impossible to duplicate unless you have the same great people.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“The Storyteller’s Secret Storytellers who simplify complexity speak succinctly. They practice their pitch until they can tell a compelling story in as little as 60 seconds.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“The next time you face a skeptical audience, paint a picture of the villain before you introduce your product or service—the conquering hero. The villain/hero narrative simplifies the problem your idea solves and, if you use simple words, you might be surprised at just how quickly your idea catches on.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“While all storytellers love the rule of three, for business storytelling, the three-act structure is particularly critical to making your case simply and persuasively. Your customer doesn’t want to know all 200 features of your product; explain three features they will care the most about.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, identify what makes you unique and interesting and have the courage to be authentic across all of the social media platforms from which you share your story.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“You will lose because people can sniff out a poser from a mile away.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“good story also has specific details to help the listener see herself in the founder’s story. A detail such as Sara’s seat number on the airplane is irrelevant to the story. The fact that Sara’s $98 pair of white pants hung in the closet for eight months because she didn’t like the way they looked on her is something that many women can relate to.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Anaphora is a storytelling device where a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses and sentences. In politics Democratic and Republican leaders share one big love—anaphora.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Churchill proved that one person can make a difference. One person can save a civilization. But no person has a chance to persuade the greatest number of people if they cannot explain their ideas with short, well-chosen words.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Leaders who launch movements don’t “implement” a plan. They carry it out. Leaders who start movements don’t offer “remuneration” for carrying out the plan. They reward people for doing it. Leaders who launch movements don’t carry out a plan from “inception to termination.” They see it through from start to finish.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Many people believe that if they use big words—capacious, voluminous, consequential language—others will find their use of such words to be a sign of intelligence. The exact opposite is true. If you want to sound smart and confident, replace big words with small ones. Big words don’t impress people; big words frustrate people.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“My legs haven’t disabled me, if anything they’ve enabled me. They’ve forced me to rely on my imagination and to believe in the possibilities … So the thought that I would like to challenge you with today is that maybe instead of looking at our challenges and our limitations as something negative or bad, we can begin to look at them as blessings, magnificent gifts that can be used to ignite our imaginations and help us go further than we ever knew we could go. It’s nearly impossible to resist the urge to stand up and cheer for Purdy because, as we now know, our brains are wired to respond to such a story. Purdy believes that storytellers who have experienced struggle feel more deeply because they’ve experienced the depth of life and its highest peaks. “My biggest struggles have led to my biggest accomplishments,”7 Purdy says.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“According to Southwest CEO Gary Kelly, a company’s purpose should answer the question, “Why do we exist?” Kelly adds, “We exist to connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel.”6 Only storytelling can rally passionate people around a common purpose. Each week Kelly gives a “shout out”—public praise—to employees who have gone above and beyond to show great customer service. Each month the Southwest Spirit magazine features the story of an employee who has gone above and beyond. Southwest highlights positive behaviors through a variety of recognition programs and awards. Finally, internal corporate videos are filled with real examples and stories to help employees visualize what each step of the purpose looks and feels like.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Even though medicine is all about facts and data, the driving force of what engages people (employees, investors, customers) is the human story behind what we’re doing. Again and again we have found that crafting it into human terms is the most effective way to engage those three groups.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Once Guerra’s audiences learn about the brands that inspired Walnut Hill, they are more likely to understand the reason behind strategies like the “15–5” rule: At 15 feet from a patient or a visitor, an employee should make eye contact. At 5 feet the employee should greet and say hello to the patient or, if the patient looks confused, ask if he or she needs help. Guerra explains that the hospital adopted the strategy from studying hospitality techniques at hotel chains like the JW Marriott.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“At 2:30 a.m. on the night of August 2, 1943, Kennedy, the skipper of a PT boat on patrol in World War II, got the chance to play the hero in his own life story. An enemy destroyer rammed the boat and split it in half. Two members of the 13-man crew were killed. One man was terribly injured and would certainly die if left on his own to swim to safety. Kennedy took a strap of the man’s life jacket, put it between his teeth, and swam four hours to a tiny uninhabited island that was only 70 yards wide. “With the physical courage of which he’d shown himself to be capable, Jack Kennedy had turned his years of frailty and private suffering into a personal and public confidence that would take him forward,”10 writes Matthews. Stories of heroes and heroic actions challenge us to remake our own internal narratives.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

“Using pictures to tell stories is a technique well established in the neuroscience literature in a concept called picture superiority. Researchers have found that if you simply hear information, you will recall about 10 percent of the content. If you hear the information and see a picture, it’s likely that you will retain 65 percent of the content.”
― Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't