The Cobra
The author tells a story about a chronic complainer whose lawsuits were finally dismissed after a company employee finally just patiently listened to all the man had to rage about. Carnegie uses metaphor to suggest how this can be universally applied to such chronic critics, suggesting:
“even the most violent critic, will frequently soften and be subdued in the presence of a patient, sympathetic listener - a listener who will he silent while the irate fault-finder dilates like a king cobra and spews the poison out of his system.
Two-Gun Cowley
A lesson in what is a common characteristic to all criminal types is provided courtesy of a letter to the world written by Two-Gun Cowley as police were closing in on him in what would be the most violent manhunt in NYC to that date. Cowley was a ferocious sociopathic killer, but—as Carnegie suggests is true of all violent offenders—he did not view himself in that manner. His letter painted a more benevolent metaphor for himself:
“Under my coat is a weary heart, but a kind one - one that would do nobody any harm."
What Is Insanity
In a section devoted to studying this question, Carnegie relates a story told by an eminent psychiatrist about a woman who truly went so mad that she sunk into a delusion that took over every aspect of her perception of reality. It may not be going too far to suggest that in response to this story, Carnegie manifests the fullest flowering of his capacity to write in richly metaphorical language:
"Life once wrecked all her dream ships on the sharp rocks of reality; but in the sunny, fantasy isles of insanity, all her barkentines race into port with canvas billowing and winds singing through the masts."
Receiving Praise Is Like a Trip to the Dentist
Want the short version of the book: the best way to influence people is to say their name and then praise them. Carnegie is blunt about the power of praise, but it may seem a bit paradoxical within the context of metaphor:
"Beginning with praise is like the dentist who begins his work with Novocain. The patient still gets a drilling, but the Novocain is pain-killing."
The Importance of Names
Carnegie enters the world of politics to underline just how significant it is to remember names if you ever want to be truly influential. The metaphorical landscape of not fully comprehending this lesson could not be starker:
“To recall a voter’s name is statesmanship. To forget it is oblivion.”
