Promises are like babies: easy to make, hard to deliver. ~Author Unknown
Half the promises people say were never kept, were never made. ~Edgar Watson Howe
The best way to keep one's word is not to give it. ~Napoleon Bonaparte
For every promise, there is price to pay. ~Jim Rohn
Promises are like crying babies in a theatre, they should be carried out at once. ~Norman Vincent Peale
We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot. ~Abraham Lincoln
Half the promises people say were never kept, were never made. ~Edgar Watson Howe
The best way to keep one's word is not to give it. ~Napoleon Bonaparte
For every promise, there is price to pay. ~Jim Rohn
Promises are like crying babies in a theatre, they should be carried out at once. ~Norman Vincent Peale
We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot. ~Abraham Lincoln
Promise is defined as (http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=promises&sub=Search+WordNet&o2=&o0=1&o7=&o5=&o1=1&o6=&o4=&o3=&h=000000)
Noun
S: (n) promise (a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future)
S: (n) promise, hope (grounds for feeling hopeful about the future) "there is little or no promise that he will recover"
Verb
S: (v) promise, assure (make a promise or commitment)
S: (v) promise (promise to undertake or give) "I promise you my best effort"
S: (v) predict, foretell, prognosticate, call, forebode, anticipate, promise (make a prediction about; tell in advance) "Call the outcome of an election"
S: (v) promise (give grounds for expectations) "The new results were promising"; "The results promised fame and glory"
Noun
S: (n) promise (a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future)
S: (n) promise, hope (grounds for feeling hopeful about the future) "there is little or no promise that he will recover"
Verb
S: (v) promise, assure (make a promise or commitment)
S: (v) promise (promise to undertake or give) "I promise you my best effort"
S: (v) predict, foretell, prognosticate, call, forebode, anticipate, promise (make a prediction about; tell in advance) "Call the outcome of an election"
S: (v) promise (give grounds for expectations) "The new results were promising"; "The results promised fame and glory"
In view of so many broken promises, especially in light of the recent financial market meltdown in USA, can we ever trust someone who has broken their promises? It has become a norm for companies to over promise but under deliver; they promised something that they know couldn’t be delivered. For me, I would think that promises should only be made after careful consideration and must be delivered at all costs instead of saying it for the sake of saying it resulting in the failure of delivering the promise. One of the most important lessons that I have learnt is to under promise but over deliver; it simply means giving more than what was promised. End of the day, everyone is selling something, be it a product or service (in the form of a promise; this product / service can do this and this and this etc).
Using the financial market meltdown in USA as an example, can you imagine how does the employees, who are laid off, feel now that they are jobless and that they retirement plans are wrecked due to the fact that the companies that they have been slogging for numerous years have filed for bankruptcy? With this image in mind, how important it is for us to keep our promises?
Of the promises that I listed above, I do not agree with Napoleon Bonaparte’s way of keeping a promise. I think the best way to keep promises is to understand the implications of being able to deliver them and the implications of not being able to deliver them.
Using the financial market meltdown in USA as an example, can you imagine how does the employees, who are laid off, feel now that they are jobless and that they retirement plans are wrecked due to the fact that the companies that they have been slogging for numerous years have filed for bankruptcy? With this image in mind, how important it is for us to keep our promises?
Of the promises that I listed above, I do not agree with Napoleon Bonaparte’s way of keeping a promise. I think the best way to keep promises is to understand the implications of being able to deliver them and the implications of not being able to deliver them.
What do you think?
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