Think about it: everybody you know, everyone that you meet, also know about 250 people. So every time you cultivate a relationship with one new person, you have actually expanded your personal inventory by 250 people - every single time.

Go looking for conflict, and you'll find it. Go looking for people to take advantage of you, and they generally will. See the world as a dog-eat-dog place, and you'll always find a bigger dog looking at you as if you're his next meal. Go looking for the best in people, and you'll be amazed at how much talent, ingenuity, empathy, and good will you'll find. Ultimately, the world treats you more or less the way you expect to be treated.

The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.

Develop a reputation as a person who, rather than talking a good game, actually plays a good game.

Internalize the Golden Rule of sales that says: All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.

I started out as a television news anchor but I wasn't very good at it. I think I was too positive. I wanted to begin every newscast by saying, 'Good evening, in the news tonight...everything's great! Go to sleep. We'll let you know if anything important comes up.'

Ultimate influence is the ability to get the results you want from others while helping them feel genuinely good about themselves.