Knowledge is just potential power. It becomes power only if it is organized as a definite plan of action and directed towards a definite goal. The "missing link" in all education systems is the inability of educational institutions to teach their students how to organize and use knowledge after they have acquired it.
Because Henry Ford rarely went to school, many people educated He is mistaken that he is not a human being. Those who make this mistake do not know the true meaning of the word education. This word comes from the Latin word “educo”, which means to come to a conclusion, to make sense of, to grow out of. An educated person does not necessarily mean that he has specific or general knowledge. Educated person; a person who develops his mental skills in such a way that he can get whatever he wants without violating the rights of others. Henry Ford fit this description perfectly.
During the First World War, a Chicago newspaper published an editorial in which it called Henry Ford an "ignorant pacifist," among other phrases. Ford disputed this statement and filed a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper. While the case was pending in court, the newspaper's lawyers verified their claims. They put Ford on the witness stand to show that he was ignorant, saying they would prove it. Lawyers posed several questions to Ford. Each of the questions was intended to show that although he had specialized knowledge of Ford automobile manufacturing, he was generally ignorant. Ford was pressed with questions such as:
“Who was Benedict Arnold?” and “How many soldiers did the British send to America to suppress the 1776 Uprising?” In response to the last question, Ford said, "I don't know the exact number of troops sent by the British, but I've heard that there were many more than those who returned."
Eventually Ford got tired of these questions and, in response to a particularly offensive question, said: “If I really need to answer this stupid question you've asked, or something you've asked before, let me remind you this. I have a series of light switches on my desk, and by pressing the right buttons I can call in my assistants to answer any questions I have about my job, where I spend most of my hard work. Now can you please tell me why I should fill my mind with this general knowledge when I have men who can answer these questions?”
There was definitely good logic in this answer. At this, the mouths of the lawyers were shut. Everyone in the court realized that this was the answer of an educated man, not an ignorant man. Every person who knows where to get information when he needs it and who knows how to organize this information into a definite action plan is educated. With the help of the "Brain Power" group, Henry Ford kept at his disposal the specialized knowledge that made him one of America's wealthiest men. It was not necessary for him to keep the information in his own mind.
Napoleon Hill - "Think and Get Rich"
