They say time kills all deals. Salespeople know this saying well, as they probably use it more than anyone else. They design sales processes with it in mind. But I notice it even when nobody’s driving a sales process. Somewhat regularly, I get in a long line to buy something at a store or cafe, only to get bored, give up, and leave without spending any money. Yeah maybe I’m a bit impatient.
They also say the only way to win is to stay in the game. I read the following parable in a book recently (affiliate link: help fund my AM coffee). It’s about a peasant who was sentenced to death.
The peasant kneels before the king and says, “Oh, great and glorious king, if you will only let me live for one more year, I pledge that I can teach the royal horse to talk!” The king, figuring he has nothing to lose, grants the peasant his request. On the way out of the throne room, one of the royal guards pulls the relieved peasant aside and asks, “Why in the world did you promise the king that you could teach his horse to talk? Surely you will fail and the king will have you killed when the year is done!” The peasant turns calmly to the guard and answers, “Well, a lot can happen in a year. Maybe the king will forget about me. Maybe the king will die. Maybe the horse will die. And if I get really lucky, in a year’s time, maybe the horse will talk!”
So the peasant made a deal to stay in the game, riding on a hope that time kills the deal (or a party to it) and he winds up ahead. As the great fish philosopher Dori says, just keep swimming!
Update, May 2026
A lot of people laughed at GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen’s appearance on CNBC after his bold, loosely-funded, offer to acquire eBay. When Andrew Ross Sorkin tried to pin him down on how the money comes together, Cohen confidently replied “we’ll see what happens.” A past version of me might have laughed at him too, but today’s version of me was inspired by him. As background, Cohen’s claim to fame was founding and building Chewy.com, which he sold sold for over $3 billion in his early 30s. You may be wondering how he became the GameStop CEO. Well, he put his money down on the table to buy a big stake when the stock was in the dumpster, and then took on the Board Chairman role in 2021. You may recall the GameStop meme stock roller coaster in 2021. Those two things were not merely coincidence. Later, in 2023, he took the CEO seat.
I’m reminded of the peasant and the talking horse.
So I’m inspired by Ryan Cohen because I believe he’s a living example that a) the world is unpredictable and b) fortune favors the bold.
We’ll see what happens!