“A young student nurse heard my sobbing and came over to me.She took the covers off my face and started wiping my tears.She told me how lonely she was，having to work that day and not being able to be with her family.She asked me whether I would have dinner with her.She brought two trays of food：sliced turkey，mashed a potatoes，cranberry sauce and ice cream for dessert.She talked to me and tried to calm my fears.Even thoughshe was scheduled to go off duty at 4P.M.，she stayed on her own time until almost 11P.M.She played games with me，talked to me and stayed with me until I finally fell asleep.
“Many Thanksgivings have come and gone since I was ten，but one never passes without me remembering that particular one and my feelings of frustration，fear，loneliness and the warmth and tenderness of the stranger that somehow made it all bearable.”
If you want others to like you，if you want to develop real friendships，if you want to help others at the same time as you help yourself，keep this principle in mind：
PRINCIPLE 1：
Become genuinely interested in other people.
Chapter 5
A Simple Way to Make a Good First Impression
At a dinner party in New York，one of the guests，a woman who had inherited money，was eager to make a pleasing impression on everyone.She had squandered a modest fortune on sables，diamonds and pearls.But she hadn’t done anything whatever about her face.It radiated sourness and selfishness.She didn’t realize what everyone knows：namely，that the expression one wears on one’s face is far more important than the clothes one wears on one’s back.
Charles Schwab told me his smile had been worth a million dollars.And he was probably understating the truth.For Schwab’s personality，his charm，his ability to make people like him，were almost wholly responsible for his extraordinary success；and one of the most delightful factors in his personality was his captivating smile.
Actions speak louder than words，and a smile says，“I like you，You make me happy.I am glad to see you.”
That is why dogs make such a hit.They are so glad to see us that they almost jump out of their skins.So，naturally，we are glad to see them.
A baby’s smile has the same effect.
An insincere grin？No.That doesn’t fool anybody.We know it is mechanical and we resent it.I am talking about a real smile，a heartwarming smile，a smile that comes from within，the kind of smile that will bring a good price in the marketplace.
The employment manager of a large New York department store told me she would rather hire a sales clerk who hadn’tfinished grade school，if he or she has a pleasant smile，than to hire a doctor of philosophy with a somber face.
The chairman of the board of directors of one of the largest rubber companies in the United States told me that，according to his observations，people rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.This industrial leader doesn’t put much faith in the old adage that hard work alone is the magic key that will unlock the door to our desires，“I have known people，”he said，“who succeeded because they had a rip-roaring good time conducting their business.Later，I saw those people change as the fun became work.The business had grown dull，They lost all joy in it，and they failed.”
You must have a good time meeting people if you expect them to have a good time meeting you.
I have asked thousands of business people to smile at someone every hour of the day for a week and then come to class and talk about the results.How did it work？Let’s see...Here is a letter from William B.Steinhardt，a New York stockbroker.His case isn’t isolated.In fact，it is typical of hundreds of cases.
“I have been married for over eighteen years，”wrote Mr.Steinhardt，“and in all that time I seldom smiled at my wife or spoke two dozen words to her from the time I got up until I was ready to leave for business.I was one of the worst grouches who ever walked down Broadway.
“When you asked me to make a talk about my experience with smiles，I thought I would try it for a week.So the next morning，while combing my hair，I looked at my glum mug in the mirror and said to myself，‘Bill，you are going to wipe the scowl off that sour puss of yours today.You are going to smile.And you are going to begin right now.’As I sat down to breakfast，I greeted my wife with a ‘Good morning，my dear，’and smiled as I said it.
“You warned me that she might be surprised.Well，you underestimated her reaction.She was bewildered.She was shocked.I told her that in the future she could expect this as a regular occurrence，and I kept it up every morning.
“This changed attitude of mine brought more happiness into our home in the two months since I started than there was during the last year.
“As I leave for my office，I greet the elevator operator in the apartment house with a ‘Good morning’and a smile，I greet the doorman with a smile.I smile at the cashier in the subway booth when I ask for change.As I stand on the floor of the Stock Exchange，I smile at people who until recently never saw me smile.“I soon found that everybody was smiling back at me，I treat those who come to me with complaints or grievances in a cheerful manner，I smile as I listen to them and I find that adjustments are accomplished much easier.I find that smiles are bringing medollars，many dollars every day.
“I share my office with another broker.One of his clerks is a likable young chap，and I was so elated about the results I was getting that I told him recently about my new philosophy of human relations.He then confessed that when I first came to share my office with his firm he thought me a terrible grouch—and only recently changed his mind.He said I was really human when I smiled.
