In our business, the windows of opportunity open and close with dazzling rapidity...I constantly have to remind people to seize the moment.

Short-term can be terminal.

People retire to do what I do every day.

Fear of failure is at least as common as the desire for success. In fact, if harnessed properly, it can be the energy that drives the wheel.

Every discussion in a meeting has a diminishing curve of interest. The longer the discussion goes on, the fewer people will be interested in it.

Round numbers beg to be negotiated, usually by counteroffer round numbers. Odd numbers sound harder, firmer, less negotiable.

I am convinced that most companies don't maximize their barter possibilities. Instead of aggressively reducing costs by trading their services with those of their suppliers, they seem content to pay top dollar for everything.