“One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was never to argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel.” – Floyd Hammer
Writing stuff down matters and it matters a lot. The original quote to never quarrel with a man who buys ink by the barrel came from Congressman Charles Bornson who understood the power of the press.
The dividing line between “pre-history” and “history” is simple: writing. Pre-history is that vast expanse of time before someone started writing stuff down in the form hieroglyphs and letters to communicate the spoken word. Those cultures who rely on oral tradition to continue fade away. History is that period of time we can actually know what people thought/did/lived because someone wrote it down. The Rosetta Stone is a case-in-point of the power of words to explain Egyptian hieroglyphs which had been a mystery for centuries.
Words matter.
My son, Caleb, often says that no revolution has ever occurred because someone was talking. It is the power of writing that causes revolutions, not oratory. Any leading figure of history wrote first and spoke later.
So do yourself a favor and write it down:
- Dreams
- Plans
- Thoughts
- Philosophy
- Ways you see your business working
- Memories
- Document conversations that are important/critical
- Pieces of advice people have given you
- Ideas
The most valuable possession my Father left me was few small notebooks he had written thoughts in. They give me a glimpse into him; they give me a glimpse into me.