So while he was weighing my envelope， I remarked with enthusiasm： “I certainly wish I had your head of hair.”
He looked up， half-startled， his face beaming with smiles.
“Well， it isn’t as good as it used to be，” he said modestly.
I assured him that although it might have lost some of its pristine glory， nevertheless it was still magnificent. He was immensely pleased. We carried on a pleasant little conversation and the last thing he said to me was： “Many people have admired my hair.”
I’ll bet that person went out to lunch that day walking on air. I’ll bet he went home that night and told his wife about it. I’ll bet he looked in the mirror and said： “It is a beautiful head of hair.”
I told this story once in public and a man asked me afterwards： “What did you want to get out of him？”
What was I trying to get out of him！！！ What was I trying to get out of him！！！ If we are so contemptibly selfish that we can’t radiate a little happiness and pass on a bit of honest appreciation without trying to get something out of the other person in return—if our souls are no bigger than sour crab apples， we shall meet with the failure we so richly deserve.
Oh yes， I did want something out of that chap. I wanted something priceless. And I got it. I got the feeling that I had done something for him without his being able to do anything whatever in return for me. That is a feeling that flows and sings in your memory long after the incident is past.
There is one all-important law of human conduct. If we obey that law， we shall almost never get into trouble. In fact， that law， if obeyed， will bring us countless friends and constant happiness. But the very instant we break the law， we shall get into endless trouble.
The law is this： Always make the other person feel important. John Dewey， as we have already noted， said that the desire to be important is the deepest urge in human nature； and William James said： “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” As I have already pointed out， it is this urge that differentiates us from the animals. It is this urge that has been responsible for civilization itself.