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Now, the VOA Special English program, |
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WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. |
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Every machine is held together |
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by its nuts and bolts. |
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Without them, |
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the machine would fall apart. |
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That is also true of an organization. |
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Its nuts and bolts are its basic, |
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necessary elements. |
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They are the parts that |
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make the organization work. |
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In government, industry, diplomacy |
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-- in most anything |
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-- those who understand the nuts |
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and bolts are the most important. |
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Success depends more on them |
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than on almost anyone else. |
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In government, the president |
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or prime minister may plan |
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and shape programs and policies. |
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But, it takes much more work |
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to get them approved and |
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to make them successful. |
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There is a mass of detailed work |
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to be done.The nuts and bolts. |
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This is often put into |
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the hands of specialists. |
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The top leaders are always well-known, |
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but not those who work |
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with the nuts and bolts. |
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This is equally true |
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in the day-to-day operation of Congress. |
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The majority leader of the Senate |
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and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, |
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together with the chairmen of committees, |
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keep the business of Congress moving. |
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Behind every Senator and Congressman, |
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however, are assistants. |
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These people do all the detailed work |
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to prepare congressmen |
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to vote wisely on each issue. |
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In diplomacy, the chief ministers |
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are unquestionably important in negotiations. |
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But there are lesser officials |
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who do the basic work and preparations |
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on the different issues to be negotiated. |
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A recent book tells of |
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a British prime minister |
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who decided to send an ambassador |
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to Washington to learn |
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if details could be worked out |
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for joint action on an issue. |
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The talks in Washington, |
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the minister said, |
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would be "of nut and bolts." |
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He meant, of course, |
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the talks would concern |
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all the necessary elements |
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to make joint action successful. |
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In a military operation, |
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strategy decisions are important. |
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But much more time is spent |
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on the nuts and bolts |
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-- generally called logistics |
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-- of how to transport and supply an army. |
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It has been said that Napoleon |
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was successful because he knew |
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the field position of every one of his guns. |
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He gave careful attention |
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to the nuts and bolts of his operations. |
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The extreme importance of nuts |
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and bolts was expressed |
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by the Elizabethan poet, |
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George Herbert. He wrote: |
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For want of a nail, the shoe is lost |
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For want of a shoe, the horse is lost |
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For want of a horse, the rider is lost. |
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Benjamin franklin carried |
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these lines even further. He wrote: |
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For want of a rider, the battle was lost |
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For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost |
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And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. |
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(MUSIC) |
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This VOA Special Englsih program, |
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WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, |
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was written by Marilyn Christiano. |
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The narrator was Maurice Joyce. |
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I'm Warren Scheer. |
