
On a rainy night, McKinley had boarded a crowded streetcar. One of the men he was now considering had also been aboard, though he didn't see McKinley. Then an old woman carrying a basket of laundry struggled into the car, looking in vain for a seat. The job candidate pretended not to see her and kept his seat. McKinley gave up his seat to help her.
Remembering the episode, which he called "this little omission of kindness," McKinley decided against this man on the streetcar.
Our decisions – even the smallest, fleeting ones – tell a lot about us.
Adapted from Presidential Anecdotes, by Paul F. Boller, Jr. Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 3 (2005).