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Dale Carnegie

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Dale Carnegie was a famous American writer and teacher. He helped people improve themselves through many different ways. He taught skills like public speaking and salesmanship. He also taught interpersonal skills to help people get along. His main idea was very special and simple. He believed we can change how others act. We do this by changing our own behavior toward them first.

Carnegie grew up on a farm in Maryville, Missouri. He was born on November 24, 1888. His life was not easy because his family lived in poverty. He had to work very hard every single day. He woke up at 3 a.m. to milk cows. He also had to feed the pigs before school. He graduated from the State Teachers College in 1908.

Before he was a famous teacher, he worked in sales. He sold things like soap, bacon, and lard. He was very good at his job in Nebraska. In 1911, he decided to follow a big dream. He wanted to be a lecturer for Chautauqua assemblies. He even studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He once played a doctor in a show called Polly of the Circus.

Carnegie found his true calling at the YMCA in New York. He started teaching a class about public speaking. During his first lesson, he actually ran out of material. He told his students to speak about things that made them angry. This helped them feel brave when talking to a crowd. By 1914, he was earning $500 every week. He even gave a sold out lecture at Carnegie Hall in 1916.

He became a very successful author with many famous books. His book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, came out in 1936. It became a huge bestseller right away. He also wrote How to Stop Worrying and Start Living in 1948. By the time he died in 1955, his book sold five million copies. It was translated into 31 different languages. His training institute helped hundreds of thousands of people.

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