Comments on: Beginnings

By: Stuart Delves

Stuart Delves — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:57:15 +0000

I told you last night I might be gone sometime, and you said, Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord,and you said, Why, and I said, Because I’m old, and you said, I don’t think you’re old. And you put your hand in my hand and you said, You aren’t very old, as if that settled it.

The opening two sentences of GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson.
A beautifully written book, from start to finish. Beautiful is hard; very hard. May we all strive to at least write as elegantly as we can this year.

By: peter monro

peter monro — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:19:39 +0000

It was the best of beginnings.

It was the worst of beginnings.

by Darles Chickens, close friend of Charles Dickens.

By: steve Hill

steve Hill — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:49:47 +0000

David Attenborough to me is a great communicator.
‘What would you like to be,’ people sometimes ask, ‘if you came back to earth as an animal?’ The answer I give depends, I suppose, on the company’ [people].
Opening sentence, Chapter 1 in Life Stories. Shows it is all about people and personality. None of the corporate examples give me the feeling of their people or personality. Read the rest of the opening, very funny. Not enough space here. Read the book, listen to the recording. Enjoy

By: colin gruar

colin gruar — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 09:40:48 +0000

I love this stuff – it’s so true, so simple and yet remains so pervasive across the business world. I wonder why?

It affects everything. The business cases. The strategy presentations. The detailed plans. The progress reports. If the words are confusing, where’s the meaning?

By: Emily Wilkinson

Emily Wilkinson — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:56:33 +0000

I think I’d be more inspired by something offering flexibility and opportunities for growth or personal development. The way job adverts are written puts people in boxes rather than appearing open to who might be out there.