In Zig Ziglar's world, "if you aren't on fire" when you get to work, "then your wood is wet." And you have to remember that "money's not the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen." And there will be setbacks, but "failure is an event, not a person."
Ziglar, a motivational speaker whose "Success Rallies," "Born to Win" seminars, more than 25 self-help books and countless audiotapes attracted millions of devoted followers with homespun advice on career advancement and moral uplift, died Wednesday at a hospital in the Dallas suburb of Plano. He was 86.
He had pneumonia, said his executive assistant, Laurie Magers.
Rising by one's bootstraps through the "power of positive thinking" has long been a compelling narrative in American lore. Few messengers of prosperity have been able to sustain a relentlessly upbeat and lucrative career for as long as Ziglar.
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The world's most popular motivational speaker, as he was often described, was always excited because "you never judge a day by the weather!"
He was a presence at corporate retreats and conferences for firms such as IBM. For the public, some people paid $49 to hear him live or $1,595 to buy his complete written and audio package. He won over crowds with his proverbs and metaphors about setting goals and facing down adversity.
"If you're going to have to swallow a frog," he said in his Southern drawl, "you don't want to have to look at that sucker too long!"
Or: "You can get everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want!"
Or: "Have you ever noticed that people who are the problem never realize it? They're in denial. They think denial is a river in Egypt."
