2019-46 Henry Ford's Secret

Some years after the death of Henry Ford, I was privileged to go through some of his effects at his beautiful Fairlane estate near Detroit. Tucked away in a book in his library, I found a small scrap of paper. On it, in his wife’s handwriting appeared these words:

Bite off more than you can chew - and chew it.
Dare to do more than you can do - and do it.
Hitch you wagon to a star.
Keep your seat - and there you are.

Surely nothing better describes the secret of the amazing success of this unknown carriage maker who became the world’s greatest industrialist - nor of the humble woman who “kept her seat” beside him in his rocketing trip to fame.

— William B. Smart