Business quotes

A collection of quotes on the topic of success, back to work, for team, leadership.

Best business quotes

George Eliot photo

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

George Eliot (1819–1880) English novelist, journalist and translator
Eleanor Roosevelt photo

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States
Agatha Christie photo

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

Agatha Christie (1890–1976) English mystery and detective writer
Eleanor Roosevelt photo

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States

Source: You Learn by Living (1960), p. 29–30
Context: You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." … You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

“Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”

Source: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1948), p. 237. Part 8 : How I Conquered Worry,

H. Jackson Brown, Jr. photo

“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”

H. Jackson Brown, Jr. (1940) American writer

Source: P.S. I Love You

Oprah Winfrey photo

“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.”

Oprah Winfrey (1954) American businesswoman, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist
Napoleon Hill photo

“Do not wait; the time will never be "just right."”

Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.
Source: Think and Grow Rich (1938), p. 127

Pablo Picasso photo

“Action is the foundational key to all success.”

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer
Confucius photo

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Confucius (-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher

Laozi in the Tao Te Ching, Chapter 64
Misattributed, Chinese

Business quotes

Samuel Beckett photo

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Worstward Ho (1983)
Variant: Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Context: All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

T.S. Eliot photo

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

T.S. Eliot (1888–1965) 20th century English author

Preface to Transit of Venus: Poems by Harry Crosby (1931)

Kālidāsa photo
Socrates photo

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

This is actually a quotation http://books.google.com/books?id=FUIHmRHf8SUC&lpg=PA130&dq=%22not%20on%20fighting%20the%20old%20but%20on%20building%20the%20new%22&pg=PA130#v=onepage&q=%22not%20on%20fighting%20the%20old%20but%20on%20building%20the%20new%22&f=false from a character named Socrates in Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book that Changes Lives http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_the_Peaceful_Warrior, by Dan Millman.
Misattributed

Peter F. Drucker photo
Maya Angelou photo

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) American author and poet

Shared on her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MayaAngelou/posts/10150251846629796, July 4, 2011

Eleanor Roosevelt photo

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.”

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States
John Quincy Adams photo
Napoleon Hill photo

“Do not wait; the time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.”

Variant: Do not wait: the time will never be 'just right'. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.
Source: Think and Grow Rich (1938), p. 127
Context: Do not wait; the time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.

Herman Melville photo

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.”

Herman Melville (1818–1891) American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet

Hawthorne and His Mosses (1850)
Context: It is better to fail in originality, than to succeed in imitation. He who has never failed somewhere, that man can not be great. Failure is the true test of greatness.
Context: It is better to fail in originality, than to succeed in imitation. He who has never failed somewhere, that man can not be great. Failure is the true test of greatness. And if it be said, that continual success is a proof that a man wisely knows his powers, — it is only to be added, that, in that case, he knows them to be small. Let us believe it, then, once for all, that there is no hope for us in these smooth pleasing writers that know their powers.

Anaïs Nin photo

“The day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

Anaïs Nin (1903–1977) writer of novels, short stories, and erotica

Frequently attributed to Nin, but without cited source in her work (possibly due to a quotation in Living on Purpose: Straight Answers to Universal Questions (2000) by Dan Millman that attributed the quote to Nin without source).
In March 2013, a former Director of Public Relations at John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, Elizabeth Appell, claimed she had authored the quote in 1979 for an inspirational header on a class schedule: http://anaisninblog.skybluepress.com/2013/03/who-wrote-risk-is-the-mystery-solved/
Disputed
Variant: The day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Michael Jordan photo
Bill Cosby photo
Eleanor Roosevelt photo

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.”

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States

Source: You Learn by Living (1960), p. 29–30
Context: You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, "I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." … You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

Nelson Mandela photo

“Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.”

Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) President of South Africa, anti-apartheid activist
Winston S. Churchill photo
Paulo Coelho photo

“It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

Manuscript Found in Accra (2012), Love has always passed me by

Winston S. Churchill photo

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Winston S. Churchill (1874–1965) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Attributed to Winston Churchill in The Prodigal Project : Book I : Genesis (2003) by Ken Abraham and Daniel Hart, p. 224 and other places, though no source attribution is given. It actually derives from an advertising campaign for Budweiser beer in the late 1930s.
Misattributed
Variant: Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Source: http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/09/03/success-final/

Dwight D. Eisenhower photo

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general and politician, 34th president of the United States (in office from 1953 to 1961)

As quoted in The Federal Career Service: A Look Ahead (1954)
1950s
Variant: Now I think, speaking roughly, by leadership we mean the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done because he wants to do it.

Michael Jordan photo
Paulo Coelho photo
Aristotle photo

“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.”

Aristotle (-384–-321 BC) Classical Greek philosopher, student of Plato and founder of Western philosophy
Walt Whitman photo

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”

Walt Whitman (1819–1892) American poet, essayist and journalist

This has become attributed to both Walt Whitman and Helen Keller, but has not been found in either of their published works, and variations of the quote are listed as a proverb commonly used in both the US and Canada in A Dictionary of American Proverbs (1992), edited by Wolfgang Mieder, Kelsie B. Harder and Stewart A. Kingsbury.
Misattributed

Charles Darwin photo

“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”

Charles Darwin (1809–1882) British naturalist, author of "On the origin of species, by means of natural selection"

volume I, chapter VI: "The Voyage", page 266 http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?pageseq=284&itemID=F1452.1&viewtype=image; letter to sister Susan Elizabeth Darwin (4 August 1836)
The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin (1887)
Source: The Life & Letters of Charles Darwin

“To be in company is not to be with someone, but to be in someone.”

Antonio Porchia (1885–1968) Italian Argentinian poet

Estar en compañía no es estar con alguien, sino estar en alguien.
Voces (1943)

Alfred, Lord Tennyson photo
Sigmund Freud photo

“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.”

Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) Austrian neurologist known as the founding father of psychoanalysis
Warren Buffett photo

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”

Warren Buffett (1930) American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist

Context: It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.

Stephen R. Covey photo

“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”

Variant: We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same
Source: Journey to Ixtlan

J. Paul Getty photo

“If you owe the bank $100, that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that's the bank's problem.”

J. Paul Getty (1892–1977) American industrialist

As quoted in The Five Rules for Successful Stock Investing (2003) by Pat Dorsey & ‎Joe Mansueto, p. 234
Attributed

Henry J. Heinz photo

“To do a common thing uncommonly well brings success.”

Henry J. Heinz (1844–1919) American businessman

Henry J. Heinz, cited in: John Woolf Jordan (1915). Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania. p. 38

William Greenough Thayer Shedd photo

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.”

William Greenough Thayer Shedd (1820–1894) American theologian

Attributed without citation in Gary Ninneman, C.I.A.: Church in Atrophy (Xulon Press, 2006), p. 167. This is possibly a confusion with John Augustus Shedd.

Tom Watson photo
Zig Ziglar photo

“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”

Zig Ziglar (1926–2012) American motivational speaker

As quoted in Trigger Events – How To Find Your Next Customer (2007) by Alen Majer, p. 22

Maya Angelou photo

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

Misattributed
Source: This is actually from Zora Neale Hurston, <i>Dust Tracks On the Road,</i> though it is widely attributed to Ms. Angelou's book, <i>I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.</i>

John Wooden photo

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

John Wooden (1910–2010) American basketball coach

Wooden only repeated a common aphorism (e.g. Interview on Charlie Rose, reported by Bill Walton), which was already in circulation as early as the 1920s, when he was a youth. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbs=bks%3A1%2Ccdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3AJan+1_2+1900%2Ccd_max%3ADec+31_2+1930&q=%22fail+to+prepare%22+%22prepare+to+fail%22
Misattributed

Richard Branson photo
Richard Branson photo
Nora Roberts photo

“You have to believe in it to get it…”

Nora Roberts (1950) American romance writer

Source: Heart of the Sea

Mario Puzo photo

“Great men are not born great, they grow great…”

Source: The Godfather

Oprah Winfrey photo

“When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are.”

Oprah Winfrey (1954) American businesswoman, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist
Theodore Roosevelt photo

“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing”

Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, 26th president of the United States

1900s, A Square Deal (1903)
Context: Among ourselves we differ in many qualities of body, head, and heart; we are unequally developed, mentally as well as physically. But each of us has the right to ask that he shall be protected from wrong-doing as he does his work and carries his burden through life. No man needs sympathy because he has to work, because he has a burden to carry. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing; and this is a prize open to every man, for there can be no better worth doing than that done to keep in health and comfort and with reasonable advantages those immediately dependent upon the husband, the father, or the son. There is no room in our healthy American life for the mere idler, for the man or the woman whose object it is throughout life to shirk the duties which life ought to bring. Life can mean nothing worth meaning, unless its prime aim is the doing of duty, the achievement of results worth achieving.

Bruce Lee photo

“‎The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”

Bruce Lee (1940–1973) Hong Kong-American actor, martial artist, philosopher and filmmaker
Zig Ziglar photo

“Attitude, not Aptitude, determines Altitude.”

Zig Ziglar (1926–2012) American motivational speaker

Variant: Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.

Tim O'Reilly photo
Andy Rooney photo
Les Brown photo
Paulo Coelho photo

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not ready.”

Source: The Devil and Miss Prym‎ [O Demônio e a srta Prym] (2000), p. x; this has also been misquoted as "A moment is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny."
Context: When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.

Albert Schweitzer photo

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) French-German physician, theologian, musician and philosopher

Variant: Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

Jack Welch photo
Helen Keller photo

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Helen Keller (1880–1968) American author and political activist

"Helen and Teacher: The Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy", Joseph P. Lash (1980) http://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/04/21/together/

Babe Ruth photo

“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”

Babe Ruth (1895–1948) American baseball player

As quoted in Weird Ideas That Work : 11 1/2 practices for promoting, managing, and sustaining innovation (2001) by Robert I. Sutton, p. 95

Elon Musk photo

“This is the chance to fulfill a dream.”

Elon Musk (1971) South African-born American entrepreneur

Conversation: Elon Musk on Wired Science (2007)

Steve Jobs photo

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”

Steve Jobs (1955–2011) American entrepreneur and co-founder of Apple Inc.

Quoted in Steve Jobs, the Journey Is the Reward (1988) by Jeffrey S. Young ISBN 155802378X
1980s

Napoleon I of France photo

“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”

Napoleon I of France (1769–1821) French general, First Consul and later Emperor of the French

As quoted in The Military Quotation Book (2002) by James Charlton, p. 93
Attributed

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry photo

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900–1944) French writer and aviator

The earliest appearance yet located of this statement is in 50 Ways to Lose Ten Pounds (1995) by Joan Horbiak, p. 95, where it is quoted as an anonymous proverb. It seems to have circulated as such for a few years before it began to be attributed to Saint Exupéry around 2007.
Disputed

Randy Pausch photo

“There Is Nothing More Beautiful Than Someone Who Goes Out Of Their Way To Make Life Beautiful For Others”

Alireza Kohany (1993) Musician, Actor, Entrepreneur

Source: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Business_In_Simple_Language/aiXfDwAAQBAJ

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”

Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American writer and lecturer

As quoted in The Ring of Truth (2004) by Joseph O'Day

Sophie Kinsella photo

“Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.”

Eric Roth (1945) American screenwriter

Source: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Screenplay

“Your attitude determines your altitude.”

Zig Ziglar
200 Motivational and inspirational Quotes That Will Inspire Your Success
Variant: Your attitude determines your altitude. - Zig Ziglar

Warren Buffett photo

“Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

Warren Buffett (1930) American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist

Statement of January 1991, as quoted in Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett (2007) by Andrew Kilpatrick

Martin Luther King, Jr. photo

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Strength to Love, p. 25
1960s, Strength to Love (1963)
Context: The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others.

Warren Buffett photo

“When I hear somebody sigh that "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?"”

Sydney J. Harris (1917–1986) American journalist

"Purely Personal Prejudices" http://books.google.com/books?id=DLcEAQAAIAAJ&q=%22When+I+hear+somebody+sigh+that+Life+is+hard+I+am+always+tempted+to+ask+Compared+to+what%22&pg=PA241#v=onepage
Strictly Personal (1953)

David Brinkley photo
Andy Warhol photo

“They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”

Source: 1975, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (1975), Ch. 7: Time
Source: The Philosophy of Andy Warhol

Stephen R. Covey photo

“Your attitude determines your altitude”

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Anthony Robbins photo

“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”

Tom Schulman (1950) American film director, screenwriter

Variant: No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world
Source: Dead Poets Society

Will Rogers photo

“Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

Will Rogers (1879–1935) American humorist and entertainer

Variant: Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.