Apparently Ford had been a witness or something at some trial - probably a civil suit or something. Anyways the opposing attorney was insinuating that Ford didn't know everything, to which Ford replied that no, he didn't know everything. What he did know is that to find an answer, he would find men who did know the answer to a problem or question.
I can't remember the exact details of this story but it went along those lines. I'll have to find my "Think and Grow Rich" book as that's where I read about this first.
I tell all my candidates that I run campaigns for that no one can know everything about every issue. I make them seek out experts on every issue imaginable and just sit and talk before they take any policy position. Even if they ultimately don’t agree, you can glean a great deal about a particular process just by listening to someone who’s been there. It’s the smartest move a candidate can make.
Apparently Ford had been a witness or something at some trial - probably a civil suit or something. Anyways the opposing attorney was insinuating that Ford didn't know everything, to which Ford replied that no, he didn't know everything. What he did know is that to find an answer, he would find men who did know the answer to a problem or question.
That was 1919, when Ford sued the Chicago Tribune for libel, asking $1m in damages.
In 1919, two industrial giants, Henry Ford and Colonel McCormick of the Chicago Tribune, met in a dramatic libel case when the paper had called Ford an “ignorant idealist.” The automaker was okay with being called an idealist, but he had a problem with the assertion he was ignorant due to his lack of schooling.The attorneys for the paper pleaded justification, and placed Ford on the witness stand, for the purpose of proving to the jury that he was ignorant. Ford was plied with such questions as the following: “Who was Benedict Arnold?” and “How many soldiers did the British sent over to America to put down the Rebellion of 1776?” In answer to the last question, Ford replied, “I do not know the exact number of soldiers the British sent over, but I have heard that it was a considerably larger number than ever went back.”
In reply to another particularly offensive question, he leaned over, pointed his finger at the lawyer who had asked the question and said, “If I should really want to answer the foolish question you have just asked, or any of the other questions you have been asking me, let me remind you that I have a row of electric push-buttons on my desk, and by pushing the right button, I can summon to my aid men who can answer any question I desire to ask. Why should I clutter up my mind with general knowledge for the purpose of being able to answer questions, when I have men around me who can supply any knowledge I require?”
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The jury, which consisted of eleven farmers and one road inspector, found in favor of Ford and awarded him six cents.