Dale Carnegie

AUTHOR, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER

“If you want to be enthusiastic, act enthusiastic.”

—Dale Carnegie

Dale Carnegie was born into poverty, but he made a millionaire of himself. In addition to rising to the top himself, he also helped scores of devotees succeed through his writings, speaking engagements, and personal development classes. He is truly one of the most famous Missourians of all time, although many don’t realize he called the Show Me State his home.

His start in life was that of a humble country boy, but his achievements would last far beyond his lifetime. Today, many of the world’s top business and political leaders, along with practically every salesperson who has ever lived, have all adopted his teachings to become more successful.

THE EARLY YEARS

Dale Carnegie was born on November 24, 1888, and grew up in Maryville. The small town in the northwest corner of the state is known for large farms and wide-open spaces. In fact, his family farm was so remote he never even saw a train until he was almost a teenager.

The farm life was lonely, but it taught him a lesson about hard work that he never forgot: Sometimes you have to work long hours to get the job done. Even as a child, he was required to get up at 3:30 a.m. to start his chores. Life on a desolate farm wasn’t easy, but it provided him the finances to attend college in Warrensburg.

RISE TO FAME

After attending the State Teacher’s College, now known as the University of Central Missouri, he set off to become a salesman. His first job was selling correspondence classes to farmers who were unable to attend school. Many of these farmers either had financial limitations or lived too far from a town where educational classes were offered. He quickly moved on to take the role of salesman for Armour and Company, selling household items like soap, bacon, and lard. He had such a knack for selling that he was soon the national leader in sales for the company.

Carnegie, however, didn’t stop with being just a top salesman. He went off to try to realize another dream: To become an actor. He traded in the job at Armour in order to move to New York City, where he did some acting and taught public speaking at a YMCA.  His classes drew large crowds, so he began to look for ways to capitalize on his success. His first step was to publish a book with tips on effective public speaking. Practical Course for Business Men was published in 1926.  That book set the path for his next career move that would make his name known all over the world.

SHOW ME SUCCESS

His training in personality development and public speaking became very profitable.   He expanded his reach by touring the country where he taught sales techniques.  He again put these ideas into book form in 1936 with the release of How to Win Friends and Influence People. The book was an instant hit and has proven itself timeless, selling more than 30-million copies in nearly forty languages.

Carnegie followed that book in 1948 with How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.  His texts became standard reading material in many industries.  Ultimately, the founding of the Dale Carnegie Institute has guaranteed that his techniques are still taught to business leaders today. Carnegie died in 1955, leaving behind a legacy both in the written word and in the institute classes.  Those classes are still  taught by nearly 3000 instructors in 65 countries.

EXTRA, EXTRA!

• Famous Dale Carnegie quotes:
  • “Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain—and most fools do.”
  • “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
  • “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.”