"The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell."
Carnegie was a predecessor in every way. After noticing that rusted iron could be treated with cool air to remove impurities, he exploited the new material and invested in its success. Many companies tried to follow in his success, but failed miserably.
"No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it."
Interestingly, Carnegie received all the credit for his steel empire but didn't take part in the backbreaking labor.
"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."
As a young boy, pleasing his mother was one of Carnegie's biggest motivations. She didn't want him to turn out to be a failure like his father had been. This was impressive, considering the fact that he was still motivated after serving grueling 12 hour workdays when he was a young boy.
"The emigrant is the capable, energetic, ambitious, discontented man."
Being a scottish immigrant, Carnegie understood the hardships immigrants faced. He and many other businesses didn't discriminate, but welcomed immigrants into their factories. The city dwellers were another story. Many of them believed that the new immigrants were trying to steal away their rights and ruin society. As a result, immigrants who didn't speak English were ousted out of society.
"Do your duty and a little more and the future will take care of itself." Some might argue that Carnegie didn't fulfill his duties managing the steel mills because he had terrible working conditions. This is only partly true. If he hadn't cut corners at every opportunity and paid his workers the minimum wage, his business might not have been profitable, and he would have less to donate to charity. Say what you will about Carnegie, but he was a man who achieved remarkable, unparalleled success.
I find your post very creative, as you are incorporating different parts of Carnegie's life through an analysis of his quotes. It seems as if you focus on his early life and legacy, but maybe focus on his business practices as well. Do you believe Carnegie only achieved his success through more unscrupulous means, or was he a truly skilled businessman?
ReplyDeleteFor more information about Carnegie: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andrew-Carnegie
This is a very unique way to analyze someone's life, through their quotes. It was very interesting the way you interpreted what he had said and linked it to his life. I felt as though some of his quotes could have been linked not just to his personal life but to his business life as well. Your writing suggests that you see Carnegie as a hypocrite through his quotes, but do you think he has a right to talk of hard work and hardships since he himself grew up poor? From class, I remember that his father was a con man, and Carnegie did what he did to make his mother proud of him and show her that he was not like his father. Do you think that is a good excuse for him cutting corners?
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