“Both professor and student share in the pursuit of excellence and perfection.”

“I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business.”

“In education … whenever a proposal is made that looks toward increased intellectual effort on the part of students, professors will always say that the students cannot so the work. My observation leads me to think that what this usually means is that the professors cannot or will not do the work … When, in spite of the opposition of the professors, the change is introduced, the students, in my experience, have always responded nobly.”

“College students are not happy with answers from professors. Students are challenging them. A tension is growing. Students are chained to student debt they cannot possibly pay back…. This system no longer works for them, and they know it.”

“His Biographer remarked: Of course, ‘Sir, you believe in excellence.' JRD Tata) retorted sharply, 'Not excellence. Perfection. You aim for perfection, you will attain excellence. If you aim for excellence, you will go lower.”

“Leadership, pure and simple, is the assumption of responsibility for the pursuit of excellence in group life.”

“Why are students learning business from business professors whose businesses failed?”

“Excellence does not require perfection.”

“Strive for excellence, not perfection, because we don't live in a perfect world.”

“Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”