Thinking Space

J. D. Rockefeller is considered to be the most successful businessman and wealthiest American of all time. He rarely spoke, made himself inaccessible for hours during his working day, and stayed quiet when someone caught his attention.

A refinery worker who was close to Rockefeller once remarked that in a meeting he lets everybody else talk while he sits back and says nothing.

When asked about his silence during meetings, Rockefeller often recited a poem:

A wise old owl lived in an oak,

The more he saw the less he spoke,

The less he spoke, the more he heard,

Why aren’t we all like that wise old bird?

Alas! in a talking world; this trait isn’t appreciated as much. Though its worth being a ‘wise old owl’ more often.