Wealth & Money Quote by Harvey S. Firestone

Firestone’s brag lands because it dresses power as instinct. He’s not claiming to be a bookkeeper; he’s claiming a kind of industrial sixth sense, the boss’s version of “I know it when I see it.” In the early 20th-century factory, where output was finally being measured with stopwatches and ledgers, he stakes his authority on something older and more human: the walk-through, the glance, the vibe. That move is strategic. It implies that profitability isn’t just a spreadsheet outcome; it’s a moral and cultural condition a competent leader can read in the air.

The key phrase is “the spirit of the workers.” It sounds generous, almost paternal, as if labor’s inner life matters. But it’s also an instrument: “spirit” becomes a diagnostic tool for management, not a claim to dignity for workers. High spirit signals discipline, order, smooth processes; low spirit signals waste, friction, hidden resistance. In that subtext, labor is both the engine and the thermometer, valued less for what it wants than for what it reveals about the plant’s health.

Context sharpens the edge. Firestone built an empire in an era of Taylorism, unions, and violent labor conflict. Saying he can judge profitability by “the way it’s being run” isn’t just confidence; it’s a defense of managerial prerogative against the growing idea that workers, regulators, or markets might be the real auditors. The quote romanticizes the boss’s gaze as infallible, turning management into charisma and profitability into atmosphere.