MEN AND RUBBER

<p><em>Recommended reading by Charles T. Munger in Poor Charlie's Almanack</em><strong><em>.</em></strong> <strong><u>Complete</u></strong> 1926 edition of <strong><em><u>MEN AND RUBBER</u> </em></strong>by Harvey S. Firestone. Here Firestone puts to words what made his company a success how to avoid misleading wisdom and some of his personal insights on living.</p><p></p><p>Why was he in business? Business is made up of opportunities for great sacrifices and great accomplishments.</p><p></p><p>A man may keep very busy indeed without doing any thinking at all and the easy course-the course of least resistance-is to keep so busy that there will be no time left over for thought. Almost every man tries to dodge thought or to find a substitute for it. We try to buy thoughts ready-made and guaranteed to fit in the shape of systems installed by experts. We try to substitute discussion for thought by organizing committees; a committee may function very well indeed as a clearing house for thoughts but more commonly a committee organization is just an elaborate means of fooling one's self into believing that a spell spent in talking is the same as a spell spent in thinking.</p><p></p><p>All students of thought should get this historic book. This 1926 edition is provided in a slim volume with full text at an affordable price.</p><p></p><p>TABLE OF CONTENTS</p><p>CHAPTER I THE LABOR OF THINKING       3</p><p>CHAPTER II SWAPPING HORSES AND IDEAS          9</p><p>CHAPTER III WILD ROSE LOTION 16</p><p>CHAPTER IV STARTING THE COMPANY    22</p><p>CHAPTER V THE FIRST PROFITS  29</p><p>CHAPTER VI STARTING IN THE PNEUMATIC TIRE BUSINESS            35</p><p>CHAPTER VII THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY        41</p><p>CHAPTER VIII MANAGEMENT AND FRILLS             49</p><p>CHAPTER IX IS IT NECESSARY? CAN IT BE SIMPLIFIED?      56</p><p>CHAPTER X THE HUMAN RELATION         62</p><p>CHAPTER XI SOME THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT SELLING  70</p><p>CHAPTER XII TAKING THE BUNK OUT OF SALES   78</p><p>CHAPTER XIII CAMPING WITS EDISON FORD AND BURROUGHS 85</p><p>CHAPTER XIV CAMPING THROUGH THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS AND THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY              91</p><p>CHAPTER XV MORE CAMPING SOME BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY AND TWO PRESIDENTS       99</p><p>CHAPTER XVI BETWEEN FAILURE AND SUCCESS  107</p><p>CHAPTER XVII AMERICA SHOULD PRODUCE ITS OWN RUBBER     114</p><p>CHAPTER XVIII WAY I AM IN BUSINESS   121</p>