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I was selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door back in my college days (no kidding). So, there I am knocking on a door of a mansion in Woodside (think Beverly Hills, but south of San Francisco). The old gentleman inside had actually listened to my whole spiel. He must have been amused. There was no way I could sell him anything.
On the way out I complimented him on his gorgeous home, an Edwardian of roughly the same age as the man. He brushed it aside, “See that building at the top of the hill, with white marble columns? It belongs to one of the guys who owns garbage pickup in all of San Francisco. That’s a real mansion.” That was the first thing he taught me, being humble.
Out of the front door, dragging the vacuum behind me, I turned back and asked him in parting for some life advice. He chuckled, “Free advice is worth what you pay for it.” Some of the best advice I ever heard.
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Wally Bee 