Herb Cohen Quotes

“You and I do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.”

“No' is a reaction, not a position. The people who react negatively to your proposal simply need time to evaluate it and adjust their thinking. With the passage of sufficient time and repeated efforts on your part, almost every 'no' can be transformed into a 'maybe' and eventually a 'yes'.”

“Most of us, in our civilized society, rely too heavily on reasoning capacity to make things happen. We've been raised to believe that logic will prevail. Logic, in and of itself, will rarely influence people. Most often logic doesn't work.”

“In short, you have more power if you believe you have power and view your life's encounters as negotiations.”

“The "winners" seem to be people who not only are competent, but also have the ability to "negotiate" their way to get what they want.”

“To successfully interact with any individual in any setup, all you have to do is determine his or her needs, then fulfill them.”

“Negotiation is a field of knowledge and endeavor that focuses on gaining the favor of people from whom we want things. It's as simple as that.”

“The secret of walking on water is knowing where the stones are.”

“Information. The other side seems to know more about you and your needs than you know about them and their needs.”

“Time. The other side doesn't seem to be under the same kind of organizational pressure, time constraints, and restrictive deadlines you feel you're under.”

“He preaches engaged detachment, characterized as "caring, but not that much." More than a business strategy, he considers this a way of life. "Don't get fixated on a particular outcome," he says. "Always be willing to walk away — from the car, from the house, from the property. Once you see your life as a game, and the things you strive for as no more than pieces in that game, you'll become a much more effective player.”

“Dumb is better than smart. Inarticulate is better than articulate.”

“Don't you know the meaning of life is more life? Just keep living and be the best person you can. That's the meaning of life.”

“The secret of life is to care, but not that much.”

“Power is based on perception. If you think you got it, you got it, even if you don't got it.”

“A man with one watch thinks he knows the time, but a man with two watches knows he can never be sure.”

“The meek shall inherit the earth, but not its mineral rights.”

“Once you had all that figured out, making the prediction was easy. When will the hostages be released? Three minutes before Reagan takes the oath.”