influence

People Want to Be “Discovered” So Promise To Make Your Prospect Into A Star

Jerome Charyn

“We’re the country of movie stars because the stars, like ourselves, represent a kind of extended infantilism, beauties waiting for the big chance.” – Jerome Charyn, Born May 13, 1937. This is real similar to how Steinbeck said no one considers themselves poor. We all fancy ourselves as temporarily dispossessed millionaires. But this is a […]

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How To Convincingly Fake Originality (Without Imitating, Plagiarizing, Or Ripping Anyone Else Off)

Salvador Dali

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” – Salvador Dali, Born May 11, 1904. Originality is overrated. Sure, you don’t want to be a copycat. But you don’t have to be a creative genius, either. Some other famous mucky-muck once said something like “the secret of creativity is hiding your sources”. I

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When Your Persona Is Your Product, You Must Give It a Flavor No One Else Has

Don Rickles

“When you stand alone and sell yourself, you can’t please everyone. But when you’re different, you can last.” – Don Rickles, Born May 8, 1926. There is no flavor that every tongue will find appealing. Hell, not even every taste bud on the same tongue will like every flavor it touches. But there are flavors

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Write From a Place of Emotional Truth, and Transfer That Emotion to Your Reader

Joseph Joubert

“Never write anything that does not give you great pleasure. Emotion is easily transferred from the writer to the reader.” – Joseph Joubert, Born May 7, 1754. Maybe Joe here was only intending to write things that gave people pleasure. In which case, I would agree with the first part of his statement. But is

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You’re Not a Classical Composer – You’re a Punk Rock Shredder

Jay Reatard

“I really don’t think records should be made in the manner where you sit and write, and when you’re finished writing, you start recording. That just seems conventional and old-fashioned to me.” – Jay Reatard, Born May 1, 1980. Writing for the internet, for yourself, is pretty fucking punk. You don’t have time to engineer

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Make Them Believe You Would Tell Them All Your Secrets, And They Will Love You

Harper Lee

“Folks don’t like to have somebody around knowing more than they do.” – Harper Lee, Born Apr. 28, 1926. When you’re trying to position yourself as a trusted advisor, your audience can’t ever feel like you are holding out on them. They can’t feel like you’re keeping secrets or withholding valuable knowledge for yourself. Countering

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