I read “The Godfather” long before it launched one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. Much of the dialogue that was in the book was in the first movie and has become part of the our American lexicon like “make an offer he can’t refuse” , “he sleeps with the fishes” or “revenge is a dish that tastes best when served cold”. One phrase that didn’t make it into the movie was Don Corleone’s advice to his son, Michael: “It is better than your enemies overestimate your weaknesses and your friends underestimate your strengths.”
As a young man, I readily understood the “enemies” part of the advice given the situation that Don Corleone and Michael were in facing a mob war. And it is probably generally good advice if you are a crime boss always looking over your shoulder.
The second part about it being preferable that your friends underestimate your strengths was not so clear to me. However, as I look back over the years I have found this part to be more useful and insightful. If our friends have underestimated our strengths when they call upon them, they will likely be pleasantly surprised and we will never disappoint them. Our relationship will grow even stronger especially when things like trustworthiness, helpfulness, kindness, graciousness, integrity and generosity are called for. On the other hand, there is nothing more harmful to a relationship than a disappointment or a breach of trust. Some relationships don’t recover.
May your friends and all those important to you underestimate your strengths.
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