Here is another excerpt from my latest book, Simple Realities (The pathway to happiness and success), which is now available at Amazon.com and on Kindle.
I had never done a radio commercial, and yet here I was in a studio about to record five of them. I did the first one and the producer told me to do the next one. I did it and the producer told me it was fine; and so on until all five were on tape. Then he said to me, “Let’s do the first one over again.” He played the original back for me and it was terrible. When I asked him why he didn’t have me re-do it right away, he replied, “Had I criticized you right after doing the first one we’d be re-doing all five of them now, not just one.”
There’s a time to wink as well as to see.
Don’t resent criticism: if it’s unjustified, you can ignore it; if it is justified, you can learn from it.
Better to be criticized by a wise person than praised by a fool.
The problem with criticizing our predecessors is that we weren’t there.
Criticism won’t matter if we live such that nobody will believe it.
It’s fine to praise someone in writing or on the phone, but criticize only in person.
Editing should result in improvement, not just change.
If you have to criticize, criticize the fault not the person.
Opposition often helps; kites rise against the wind, not with it.
Superior people blame themselves; inferior people blame others.
Critics know the way but can’t drive.
The only way to escape criticism is to do and say nothing.
The people to worry about aren’t those who openly criticize you, but those who disagree with you and don’t tell you.
Nothing deflates critics quicker than to graciously accept their criticism.
If it will hurt to criticize someone, you’ll probably do it right; if you’re looking forward to it, hold your tongue.
People shouldn’t be criticized for making a mistake, but they should be criticized for not learning from it.
There are no statues honouring critics.
Praising the good things people do is more effective than criticizing the bad; it’s also more enjoyable.
Whatever decision you make, there’s someone somewhere who will criticize it.
Until you figure out how to criticize constructively, just keep quiet.
Never let anyone hear your criticism second-hand.
Constructive criticism can help people improve, provided it’s given properly.
When criticizing, focus on the future.
The person who won’t lift a finger to help is usually the first to point one.
Always limit criticism to the situation being dealt with at the moment.
Failures criticize achievements, but successful people want others to succeed.
People who don’t criticize when they should are as wrong as those who don’t praise when they should.
Don’t criticize unless you have an alternative to suggest.
You can’t throw mud without getting dirty hands.
Making up your mind is sometimes like making up a bed; it helps to have someone on the other side.
Being criticized is often proof that you’re right.
The best approach is to be generous with praise and miserly with criticism.