#tom

I would probably have to say that reading fiction — those stories fill the space that other people might use religious stories for. The bulk of what I know about human life I’ve gotten from novels. And I think the thing about novels that make them important to the people who love them is that there’s always another perspective. ↗

— Tom Perrotta

#life #reading #tom-perrotta #life

I have a message for your daughter,” said Cale. “I am bound to her with cables that not even God can break. One day, if there is a soft breeze on her cheek, it may be my breath; one night, if the cool wind plays with her hair, it may be my shadow passing by.” And with this terrible threat he faced forward and the procession started once more. In less than a minute they were gone. In her shady room Arbell Swan-Neck stood white and cold as alabaster. ↗

— Paul Hoffman

#arbell #bound #break #breath #breeze

Thinking there had to be a better way was a brilliant stroke of serendipity! ↗

— Lorii Myers

#business #business-start-up #business-success #customer-service #improvement

Sales is a business of relationships, and you must cultivate customers with tenderness and love, like cabbages in winter, even if the customer is an egomaniacal asshole you want to hit with a shovel. ↗

— Max Barry

#business

Of course, in a novel, people's hearts break, and they die, and that is the end of it; and in the story that is very convenient. But in real life we do not die when all that makes life bright dies to us. There is a most busy and important round of eating, drinking, dressing, walking, visiting, buying, selling, talking, reading, and all that makes up what is commonly called living. ↗

— Harriet Beecher Stowe

#business

For every dilemma, find at least three or four possible solutions. The creative process leads to better results. ↗

— Marilyn Suttle

#customer-service #inspirational-quotes #business

The code-of-ethics playlist: o Treat your colleagues, family, and friends with respect, dignity, fairness, and courtesy. o Pride yourself in the diversity of your experience and know that you have a lot to offer. o Commit to creating and supporting a world that is free of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. o Have balance in your life and help others to do the same. o Invest in yourself, achieve ongoing enhancement of your skills, and continually upgrade your abilities. o Be approachable, listen carefully, and look people directly in the eyes when speaking. o Be involved, know what is expected from you, and let others know what is expected from them. o Recognize and acknowledge achievement. o Celebrate, relive, and communicate your successes on an ongoing basis. ↗

— Lorii Myers

#business-culture #business-management-training #business-quotes #business-success #customer-service

It is almost startling to hear this warning of departed time sounding among the tombs, and telling the lapse of the hour, which, like a billow, has rolled us onward towards the grave. ↗

— Washington Irving

#death #grave #hour #ocean #time

Even your most loyal customers always have a choice about where to take their business. ↗

— Marilyn Suttle

#customer-service #business

If you take the approach of “earning” your customers’ business every day and treating them well, they’re less likely to try someone else. ↗

— Marilyn Suttle

#customer-service #business