Who the heck is Gary C. Halbert?

“A support system is like a garden and you always need to be on the lookout for weeds to pull.”

“Everyone wants to climb the mountain, but the big difference between those at the top and those still on the bottom is simply a matter of showing up tomorrow to give it just one more shot.”

“HALT stands for hungry, angry, lonely and tired and you should never make a decision when you are any of those things.”

“Here is something to remember: Defensive behavior invites aggressive action.”

“I don't exactly know what I'm going to write about today so what I am going to do is just keep putting words down on paper until I start to get some direction.”

“It is almost as if we have all been trained to accept capitalism, but only as part of the workforce.”

“It’s a matter of timing. Selling is like seduction. If you ask a woman to go to bed with you, whether or not she says ‘yes’ is largely a matter of when you ask her.”

“Motion beats meditation.”

“Nothing is impossible for a man who refuses to listen to reason.”

“Products are a dime a dozen. They are important, but much less crucial to success than finding a hot market.”

“Sell people what they want to buy!”

“Selling is not yelling. Selling is not tricks.”

“The most important thing is a hungry market. Not a brilliant burger.”

“The primary and most important thing in all of Direct Mail Land is to get the envelope delivered and opened.”

“The way to deduce what people want to buy is to simply observe what they DO buy!”

“The written word is the strongest source of power in the entire universe.”

“There is no justice. There is only power.”

“What does AIDA stand for? It stands for ATTENTION, INTEREST, DESIRE, ACTION. So, to make it clearer your letter should:
1. First, get his attention
2. Second, get him interested
3. Third, make him desire what you are selling
4. Compel him to take whatever action is needed to get whatever it is you are selling.”

“You must always find a market first and then concentrate on a product!”

“You see, when things are tough I have discovered that a very very simple (but effective) thing to do is just keep moving in some sort of positive direction.”