“I do to others what they do to me, only worse”
I Heard You Paint Houses“I do to others what they do to me, only worse” was Jimmy Hoffa’s blunt summary of the “means” side of the two philosophies that guided his actions. Spoken to Bobby Kennedy at a private party where the two found themselves together, the line set a rule of reciprocity with escalation: a response would not merely match an opponent’s action but exceed it.
Meaning and Context
Hoffa’s other philosophy concerned the ends he sought through labor organizing. He described the working man in America as being shortchanged, and believed that improving workers’ lives, with the union leading the way, justified whatever means were used. The maxim therefore did more than express toughness: it stated how he could reconcile an expansive promise to working people with a readiness to answer opposition more harshly.
The Maxim in Hoffa’s Public and Union Life
The book places this hard-edged principle alongside the tangible rewards that secured Hoffa’s popularity with union members: wages, vacations, pensions, and health and welfare benefits. His approach was not presented as rhetoric detached from results. The maxim illuminates the tension in his leadership: the union could improve members’ lives, while the methods Hoffa accepted to advance its power were governed by retaliation and escalation.
