--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A big business man was telling Henry Ford…" description: "\"A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could flick a fly off h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/b-c-forbes-2124_behinds_a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-for_104305.jpg" --- # A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach… ![“A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could flick a fly off his horse's ear with his whip-and, a fly alighting just then, he promptly did so. Next he spied a grasshopper beside the road, and he flicked it off…” quote by B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/b-c-forbes-2124_behinds_a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-for_104305.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/b-c-forbes-2124_behinds_a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-for_104305.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/b-c-forbes-2124_behinds_a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-for_104305.jpg) > “A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could flick a fly off his horse's ear with his whip-and, a fly alighting just then, he promptly did so. Next he spied a grasshopper beside the road, and he flicked it off with equal dexterity. A little further along the road the passenger noticed an insect on a bush, and nudged the driver to get him. Not on your life, replied the master of the whip. That there insect is a hornet sitting on his nest with an organization behind him. I leave him alone.” [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The anecdote illustrates a master’s strategic restraint, refusing to disturb a seemingly minor insect that actually protects a larger, more dangerous entity. **In simple terms:** Strategic restraint avoids provoking hidden threats. Key Takeaway Appearances can conceal underlying power structures. Themes strategy leadership perception Mood cautious reflective Type parable strategic When to use this quote - Business negotiations - Military intelligence - Environmental management Key Concepts risk assessment hierarchical dynamics Practical Applications - Train leaders to recognize hidden risks - Implement cautious decision‑making protocols Questions to Reflect On - When is it wiser to act versus observe? - How can one discern genuine threats from harmless details? A Different Perspective Overcautious avoidance can lead to missed opportunities when the threat is negligible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Big business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-business/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Business man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-man/) [Coaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coaches/) [Dexterity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dexterity/) [Driver Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driver-telling-1256096/) [Drivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drivers/) [Ears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ears/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Grasshoppers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grasshoppers/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/henry-ford/) [Hornet Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hornet-sitting-1256099/) [Hornets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hornets/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Insects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insects/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Nests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nests/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Noticed Insect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noticed-insect-1256095/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Passengers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passengers/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Whip Fly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whip-fly-1256097/) [Whip Insect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whip-insect-1256098/) [Whips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whips/) ## Related quotes > [The wing structure of the hornet, in relation to its weight, is not suitable for flight, but he does not know this and flies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-wing-structure-of-the-hornet-in-relation-to-its-weight-is-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [In my mind, I would always be a Celtic. I was very thankful and humbled that the Hornets saw fit to allow me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-parish/in-my-mind-i-would-always-be-a-celtic-i-was-very-thankful-and-humbled/) [Robert Parish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-parish/) > [People think of the Charlotte Hornets, and they think of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/people-think-of-the-charlotte-hornets-and-they-think-of-me/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [To anger an Aes Sedai is to put your head in a hornets' nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/to-anger-an-aes-sedai-is-to-put-your-head-in-a-hornets-nest/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [Mr. President at this time it is suicide, murder, and will lose us every friend at the North. You will wantonly strike a hornet's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/mr-president-at-this-time-it-is-suicide-murder-and-will-lose-us-every/) [Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/) > [From restless thoughts, that, like a deadly swarm Of hornets arm'd, no sooner found alone, But rush upon me thronging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/from-restless-thoughts-that-like-a-deadly-swarm-of-hornets-arm-d-no/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [The issue of fracking is a stick in the hornet's nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/titus-welliver/the-issue-of-fracking-is-a-stick-in-the-hornet-s-nest/) [Titus Welliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/titus-welliver/) > [A jealous wife is like a hornets' nest in your mattress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/a-jealous-wife-is-like-a-hornets-nest-in-your-mattress/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [Laws catch flies but let hornets go free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrthrill/laws-catch-flies-but-let-hornets-go-free/) [Mrthrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrthrill/) > [ You will stir up the hornets. \[Lat., Irritabis crabones.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/you-will-stir-up-the-hornets-lat-irritabis-crabones/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner's Office in consultation with team chairman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stern/since-the-nba-purchased-the-new-orleans-hornets-final-responsibility/) [David Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stern/) > [When the hornet hangs in the hollyhock, And the brown bee drones in the rose, And the west is a red-streaked four-o'clock, And summer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawein/when-the-hornet-hangs-in-the-hollyhock-and-the-brown-bee-drones-in/) [Madison Cawein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawein/) > [Concerning the generation of animals akin to them, as hornets and wasps, the facts in all cases are similar to a certain extent, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/concerning-the-generation-of-animals-akin-to-them-as-hornets-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It's amazing now the amount of love we get around this city from all the Hornets' fans. Growing up, you really don't understand it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemba-walker/it-s-amazing-now-the-amount-of-love-we-get-around-this-city-from-all/) [Kemba Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemba-walker/) > [I'm from New Orleans, so to be able to play for the Hornets is a blessing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-oubre-jr/i-m-from-new-orleans-so-to-be-able-to-play-for-the-hornets-is-a/) [Kelly Oubre, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-oubre-jr/) ## More by B. C. Forbes > [Our future and our fate lie in our wills more than in our hands, for our hands are but the instruments of our wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/our-future-and-our-fate-lie-in-our-wills-more-than-in-our-hands-for/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are soft-hearted people handicapped in business? You have heard a businessman say of someone else, He's all right, but he's too soft-hearted… To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-soft-hearted-people-handicapped-in-business-you-have-heard-a/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Search and you will find that at the base and birth of every great business organization was an enthusiast, man consumed with earnestness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/search-and-you-will-find-that-at-the-base-and-birth-of-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/better-to-be-occasionally-cheated-than-perpetually-suspicious/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Honesty pays dividends both in dollars and in peace of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/honesty-pays-dividends-both-in-dollars-and-in-peace-of-mind/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Timing is everything. Tell me how a young man spends his evenings and I will tell you how far he is likely to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/timing-is-everything-tell-me-how-a-young-man-spends-his-evenings-and/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [To succeed, we must have the will to succeed, we must have stamina, determination, backbone, perseverance, self-reliance, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/to-succeed-we-must-have-the-will-to-succeed-we-must-have-stamina/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [There are two brands of discontent: the brand that merely fosters greed and snarling and back-biting, and the brand that inspires greater and greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/there-are-two-brands-of-discontent-the-brand-that-merely-fosters/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Which class is happiest, the rich, the middle class or the poor? A very successful executive of a large organization touches upon this vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/which-class-is-happiest-the-rich-the-middle-class-or-the-poor-a-very/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are your desires purely selfish? Do your tastes run to a grand home, automobiles, fine clothes, an abundance of amusements, and so forth? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-your-desires-purely-selfish-do-your-tastes-run-to-a-grand-home/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [When you delve deep enough, you find that practically every great fortune and great enterprise in America have sprung from the courageous enterprise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/when-you-delve-deep-enough-you-find-that-practically-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [It can be set down as a broad, general principle that we cannot indulge in idleness and abundance during both the first and second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/it-can-be-set-down-as-a-broad-general-principle-that-we-cannot/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [The Christmas spirit brings home to us-or should bring home to us-the profound Biblical truth that it is more blessed to give than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-christmas-spirit-brings-home-to-us-or-should-bring-home-to-us-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [For my part, I rather distrust men or concerns that rise up with the speed of rockets. Sudden rises are sometimes followed by equally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/for-my-part-i-rather-distrust-men-or-concerns-that-rise-up-with-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) [Explore all 184 B. C. Forbes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## More Behinds quotes > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/) [Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) > [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm really thankful to God, man. Like now, I'm really making a real comeback with my group. With or without a record, with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ike-turner/i-m-really-thankful-to-god-man-like-now-i-m-really-making-a-real/) [Ike Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ike-turner/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) [Browse all 6,789 Behinds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could flick a fly off his horse's ear with his whip-and, a fly alighting just then, he promptly did so. Next he spied a grasshopper beside the road, and he flicked it off with equal dexterity. A little further along the road the passenger noticed an insect on a bush, and nudged the driver to get him. Not on your life, replied the master of the whip. That there insect is a hornet sitting on his nest with an organization behind him. I leave him alone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "B. C. Forbes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behinds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/b-c-forbes-2124_behinds_a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-for_104305.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/b-c-forbes-2124_behinds_a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-for_104305.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/b-c-forbes-2124_behinds_a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-for_104305.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver…” — B. C. Forbes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "B. C. Forbes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A big business man was telling...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```