Brian Smith

“Kelly was momentarily stunned. Trump had heard the phrase “Pearl Harbor” and appeared to understand that he was visiting the scene of a historic battle, but he did not seem to know much else. Kelly explained to him that the stealth Japanese attack here had devastated the U.S. Pacific Fleet and prompted the country’s entrance into World War II, eventually leading the United States to drop atom bombs on Japan. If Trump had learned about “a date which will live in infamy” in school, it hadn’t really pierced his consciousness or stuck with him.”
― Philip Rucker, A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America

“football: it might not be enough to just love your job. You had to want to live in the world the job created. Working with people you like, a tribe with a common goal, would make your professional life far happier than any accolade, salary, or a company’s prestige could. You need to do the work you love, at a place and with people you love. You have to feel—Brady repeatedly returned to this word—“appreciated.”
― Seth Wickersham, It's Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness

“Mike picked up a tip listening to a speech by an executive of BJ’s Wholesale Club that we use—and you should too. Mike thought he knew all the secrets of public speaking, but as he waited to go onstage after the executive from BJ’s, he heard him start and end his speech with these words: “If there’s only one thing you remember from this talk . . .” That’s a great way to signal unmistakably what matters most and what you want people to take away.”
― Jim Vandehei, Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less

“In the spring of 2017, as aides gathered in the Oval Office one day to brief Trump on upcoming meetings with foreign leaders, they made a passing reference to some foreign government officials who were under scrutiny for corruption, for taking bribes. Trump perked up at the mention of bribes and got rather agitated. He told Tillerson he wanted him to help him get rid of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. “It’s just so unfair that American companies aren’t allowed to pay bribes to get business overseas,” Trump told the group. “We’re going to change that.” Looking at Tillerson, Trump said, “I need you to get rid of that law,” as if the secretary of state had the power to magically repeal an act of Congress.”
― Philip Rucker, A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America