"A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation."
Mark Twain
2010 marks the centennial of the death of Mark Twain, who was not just a writer and humorist but one of the shrewdest observers of any age.
I just recently discovered this quote, which fits neatly into the entrepreneurial mindset: specifically, the need to quickly and intuitively assess the character of the people you meet. Should you buy from them, sell to them, hire them or work with them?
Everyone has their own way of doing this, but Twain’s concept of tracking the adjectives strikes me as genius. Is a person a positive thinker or a negative nelly? Sophisticated or homespun? Evasive, boastful or truthful?
By your adjectives shall you know them.
This won’t replace your entrepreneur intuition – but I bet it will reinforce it!
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