The only way to have is to give

“The only way to have is to give, the only way to keep is to share, the only thing worth finding is opportunity.” - George Booth

I first heard the above quote in a commencement speech delivered by Walt Person at Potomac College in 2008, and the phrase has stuck with me.

The wisdom is perhaps even more relevant today than when it was first uttered. (George Booth was a publisher and philanthropist who lived from 1864-1949)

The only way to have a talent is to use that talent to give a gift. A talented musician who doesn't play for others can hardly be called a musician.

The only way to have knowledge is to give that knowledge away, because it is the giving of knowledge that affirms the fact of its possession.

The only way to keep a memory is to share it with others, or that memory degrades and is lost. The act of sharing the memory is what allows it to be retained through reinforcement.

The only thing worth finding is opportunity. One could say that money is worth finding, but what is money but a sort of crystallized or distilled form of opportunity?

How would your business operate differently if you governed every interaction by this philosophy?