The Value Of A Smile

This was written by Frank Irving Fletcher, a prominent advertising writer, and in the 1936 book How to Win Friends & Influence People Dale Carnegie included it in the chapter on "A Simple Way to Make a Good First Impression."

The Value of a Smile

 

A smile costs nothing, but gives much.

It enriches those who receive,

without making poorer those who give.

It takes but a moment,

but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. 

 

None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it.

and none is so poor but that he can be made rich by it.

A smile creates happiness in the home,

fosters good will in business,

and is the countersign of friendship.

It brings rest to the weary,

cheer to the discouraged,

sunshine to the sad,

and is nature’s best antidote for trouble. 

 

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen,

for it is something that is of no value to anyone

until it is given away.

some people are too tired to give you a smile.

Give them one of yours,

as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

Five years ago today: Real? Or Not?