Givers have to set limits because takers rarely do. – Henry Ford
Another quote by the famous Henry Ford. This quote is more general and less business focused than the previous ones, i wrote about.
Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.
The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny to do, and then do it.
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
Let’s start with the general meaning then i’ll see if i can try to present a business focused meaning spin.
In General:
It is a known fact that the human greed and ego-centrism or selfishness are very strong in most societies. This applies to all people, of all ages and walks of life.
Thus for things that do not fall in the savoir vivre etiquette (taking a piece of chocolate from a tray rather than the entire tray), people do not set a limit to what they take.
People in general switch from fulfilling their need stage, to hording and accumulating stage. It is rare to find people that fulfill their need and decide to stop taking. You can apply this to anything, money, food donations, attention …
Even governments need to set limits for aids, because they know that people will never self regulate.
A business spin:
In business usually we focus on time and money, both very valuable assets. If you are a person giving either, you need to set limits. Because the takers will not set limits, and you will find yourself in a situation where you will need to be unpleasant and ask for a termination of this giving. Thus better set limits since beginning, this way both parties know the extent of the giving/taking relationship.