Colonel Sanders

Colonel Sanders – Life, Career, and (Famous) Sayings

Dive into the life of Colonel Harland David Sanders (1890–1980) — the founder and enduring symbol of KFC — exploring his humble beginnings, entrepreneurial journey, public persona, legacy, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Colonel Harland David Sanders is one of the most iconic figures in the history of food and branding. Best known as “Colonel Sanders,” his face, white suit, and goatee remain synonymous with fried chicken and fast food culture. But his story is more than just a mascot: it’s a tale of perseverance, reinvention, and turning a dinner recipe into a global empire. In this article, we’ll trace his life, achievements, personality, influence, and the lessons in determination that continue to resonate today.

Early Life and Family

Harland David Sanders was born on September 9, 1890, near Henryville, Indiana, in a modest rural cabin about three miles outside of town. Wilbur David Sanders and Margaret Ann (née Dunlevy).

When Sanders was five, his father was injured in a fall that left him unable to farm; he later worked as a butcher.

Education was brief: Sanders dropped out in seventh grade, later remarking (humorously) that “algebra’s what drove me off.”

In 1909 he married Josephine King, and together they had three children: Margaret, Harland Jr., and Mildred. Claudia Ledington (Claudia Price) in 1949/1950.

Career and Achievements

Early Struggles and Multiple Jobs

Sanders’s early adulthood was marked by many ventures and failures. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1906 (falsifying his age) and served briefly in Cuba as a wagoner.

He also attempted a law practice (studying by correspondence), sold life insurance, and tried manufacturing acetylene lamps (which failed).

The Restaurant and the “Colonel” Title

In 1930, Sanders began operating a service station in North Corbin, Kentucky, which he secured with help from Shell Oil (rent-free in exchange for percentage of sales).

In 1935, Sanders was granted the honorary title of Kentucky Colonel by the governor of Kentucky (Ruby Laffoon). That title became central to his persona—he began styling himself as “Colonel Sanders.”

He refined his fried chicken recipe over the years, eventually adopting a pressure-fryer method in 1939, sealing in flavor and speeding cooking time.

Franchising and KFC’s Rise

By the early 1950s, Sanders began franchising his chicken concept. The first KFC franchise was in South Salt Lake, Utah, in 1952.

At the time he sold the original Corbin restaurant (due to traffic decline from a new interstate), he focused full-time on franchising.

Though Sanders sold KFC in 1964 (at age 73) for approximately US$2 million, he retained control over Canadian operations, and became a salaried brand ambassador.

In his later years, Sanders became openly critical when franchises deviated from his standards—especially over gravy quality. At times, he publicly lambasted operations that failed to meet his expectations.

Final Years and Death

Sanders remained active nearly until his death. In June 1980, he was diagnosed with acute leukemia, and he died on December 16, 1980, at age 90 (official cause: pneumonia).

His funeral included lying in state at the Kentucky State Capitol and memorial events at KFC headquarters. He was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, in his signature white suit.

By the time of his death, KFC had expanded to thousands of outlets globally and had transformed from a roadside restaurant to a global fast-food powerhouse.

Public Image, Personality & Style

Colonel Sanders cultivated a persona as much as a culinary brand. Some key traits and image decisions:

• Signature outfit: In later life, he was rarely seen out of his white suit, black string tie, and goatee. This look became inseparable from the brand.

• Showmanship & discipline: He combined publicity flair (traveling, appearances, personifying his brand) with a rigorous insistence on standards and control.

• Perfectionism: Sanders was notorious for visiting franchise locations covertly, sampling food, and vocally condemning violations from his ideal.

• Outspokenness: He did not shy from criticizing poor quality. He once publicly criticized the gravy served in KFC restaurants, saying it had “wall-paper taste,” and even had legal disputes over such remarks.

• Marketing instinct: Sanders recognized early that his own image and persona could become a marketing asset — turning an individual identity into a brand symbol.

Thus, Colonel Sanders was part restaurateur, part salesman, part brand icon — a rare blend of entrepreneur and mascot.

Legacy and Influence

Colonel Sanders’s legacy is multifold:

1. Iconic brand identity
   His name and face remain the symbol of KFC worldwide. Even after his death, fictional or impersonated versions of him appear in advertising campaigns, comics, and popular culture.

2. Pioneering franchising in fast food
   Sanders’s model of licensing his recipe and brand to independent restaurateurs helped lay groundwork for the fast food franchise model that dominates today.

3. Cultural myth / legend
   Over time, many myths and embellishments have grown around Sanders — stories of selling chicken in a car, failures, late-life success, etc. Some are true, some exaggerated.

4. Critic of his own legacy
   Unusually, Sanders remained critical of how KFC evolved after the sale. He fought to preserve food quality and the integrity of his recipe.

5. Philanthropy
   He used holdings to create charitable organizations, especially in Canada, and contributed to hospitals and causes.

6. Enduring relevance
   Decades after his death, his persona still surfaces in branding—animated versions, celebrity portrayals, and cultural references keep his memory alive.

Famous Quotes of Colonel Sanders

Here are a few memorable lines (or paraphrases) attributed to Colonel Sanders, capturing his character and philosophy:

• “It’s hard to get people to understand something when their salary depends on them not understanding it.”

• “I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me.”

• “There’s only one way to make a great fried chicken — keep after it.”

• On gravy: He once quipped that his gravy was so good, “it’ll make you throw away the durn chicken and just eat the gravy.”

• When dissatisfied with what he saw in KFC franchises, he did not mince words; he was known to call subpar versions “slop” or “wall-paper taste.”

Because Colonel Sanders was not a traditional author or speaker, many of his “quotes” are reported or anecdotal, but they reflect his intensity, convictions, and direct style.

Lessons from Colonel Sanders

From Sanders’ life and career, we can draw several instructive lessons:

1. Persistence beyond failures
   Sanders experienced dozens of business failures and setbacks before his chicken recipe achieved success. He refused to give up.

2. Reinvention later in life
   He found his major success in his 60s and 70s—showing that it’s never too late to find your breakthrough.

3. Brand yourself
   He understood that persona, image, and consistency (white suit, title, name) could elevate a product into a legend.

4. Standards matter
   His fierce focus on quality—even when it meant criticizing his own franchisees—underlines that success built on compromise is fragile.

5. Turn personal into universal
   His personal story of humble roots, hard work, and success became part of the brand narrative consumers buy into.

6. Legacy with integrity
   Rather than fade into retirement, Sanders stayed engaged in protecting his creation. His love and guardianship of his brand continued long past the sale.

Conclusion

Colonel Harland David Sanders was far more than the face of a restaurant chain. He was a symbol of the American entrepreneurial spirit: persistent, inventive, self-branded, and uncompromising in quality. Though now iconic and partly mythologized, the real man behind the Colonel is also a compelling portrait of struggle, reinvention, and vision.