Martin Svoboda

“When you have the chance to fight for victory or a podium finish, you have the motivation to push that extra bit out of yourself.”

“I always go extreme ways.”

“I see myself as the mind of the business which takes care of every last detail; if you do not do this you cannot be fast enough.”

“Ultimately, an aircraft owner does not want to have to deal with all the intricate details which are necessary for the business.”

“I am someone who places great value on the detail. That was always the case, even in my days as a racing driver.”

“Whenever there is discussion, I make it clear that I do not want any grey zones, just black and white.*
Grey zones do not interest me at all.”

“I always want to know whether the customers are satisfied; customer satisfaction is, after all, my ultimate goal!”

“I’ve been through a lot and I realize the future can’t be controlled. I’m not worried. You can always learn to overcome difficulties.”

“Whenever I see something that challenges me, I take it on.”

“I want to bring passengers on my airplanes to present to them my product.”

“Business is much less transparent than a win in a Grand Prix; in a race you drive over the finishing line first and you have won. In business it is different.”

“I see myself as a classic middle market entrepreneur, and this is the role I fulfil.”

“I was really proud that I was named after Thomas Edison and wanted to be called Edson. I thought Pele sounded horrible. It was a rubbish name. Edson sounded so much more serious and important.”

“I used to tease the other kids because I played better than them. Then my father said, Come here. Don’t do this with the kids, because God gave you the gift to play football. You didn’t do anything.”

“The reason the sport has grown so big, I think, is that it’s not only for rich people. It’s not just for big people—size doesn’t exclude people. Everyone can participate. That’s why it’s become so popular worldwide. You don’t need to have any special quality in particular to play.”

“Football is the ultimate in team sport. And no individual can win a game by himself. Pelé is a famous name, but Pelé made his goals because another player passed to him at the proper time.”

“From my point of view, what’s beautiful in the sport is something you don’t need to know too much about tactics or anything to see. If you find something beautiful, you don’t need to be an expert to know it. It’s like ballet.”

“I’ve come to accept that the life of a frontrunner is a hard one, that he will suffer more injuries than most men and that many of these injuries will not be accidental.”

“I think the kids always they look forward to be always the big stars. Not only football, any profession. They want to be the best, singer, they want to be the best political, only the stars. But I think sometime the life give you opportunity, and long to be a big star, but you don’t need to be a big star, you need to be beautiful, excellent man. Human being. This is the first.”