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The Weird Strategy Dr. Seuss Used to Create
His Greatest Work
In 1960, two men made a bet.
There was only $50 on the line, but millions of people would feel the impact of
this little wager.
The first man, Bennett Cerf, was the founder of the publishing firm, Random
House. The second man was named Theo Geisel, but you probably know him as
Dr. Seuss. Cerf prop osed the bet and challenged that Dr. Seuss would not be
able to write an entertaining children’s book using only 50 different words.
Dr. Seuss took the bet and won. The result was a little book called Green Eggs
and Ham. Since publication, Green Eggs and Ham has sold more than 200
million copies, making it the most popular of Seuss’s works and one of the best-
selling children’s books in history.
At first glance, you might think this was a lucky fluke. A talented author plays a
fun game with 50 words and ends up producing a hit. But there is actually more
to this story and the lessons in it can help us become more creative and stick to
better habits over the long-run.
Here’s what we can learn from Dr. Seuss…