The Fish That Ate the Whale

Named a Best Book of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle and The Times-Picayune The fascinating untold tale of Samuel Zemurray, the self-made banana mogul who went from penniless roadside banana peddler to kin

Characters

Rich Cohen (6)General Manuel Bonilla (1)Edward Bernays (1)

The greatness of Zemurray lies in the fact that he never lost faith in his ability to salvage a situation. Bad things happen to him as bad things happen to everyone, but unlike so many, he was never tempted by failure. He never felt powerless or trapped. He was, as I said, an optimist. He stood in c…

— Rich Cohen, amazon.com

Pragmatism

When Zemurray didn't get permission to build a bridge... he built long piers on both sides and ran a flotation device between them.

— Rich Cohen, amazon.com

Pragmatism

A preferred Zemurray tactic: if you meet a truly formidable foe, flip him.

— Rich Cohen, amazon.com

Pragmatism

In the Banana War with United Fruit, there was a dispute over who owned 5k acres of crucial land. UF spent months with lawyers investigating who owned it. Zemurray simply bought it from both claimants: He paid more yes, and got his hands a little dirty, but he won. And he saved time and trouble. And…

— Rich Cohen, amazon.com

Pragmatism

Guys like Zemurray see the problem and the solution at the same time. What are we trying to do here?

— Rich Cohen, amazon.com

Pragmatism

Leading from the front...but empowering your subordinates... Trust your men on the ground.

— Rich Cohen, amazon.com

strategy

[Zemurray combined] the ability to think abstractly and to translate ideas into action.

— Edward Bernays, amazon.com

strategy

Sometimes, boys, you have to lose with a winning hand so that later you can win with a losing hand.

— General Manuel Bonilla, amazon.com

strategy

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