„If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less than excellent work.“

Attributed to Watson in: William G. Dickerson (1995) In search of the ultimate practice. p. 19.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Dec. 2, 2021.

Tom Watson9

American businessman 1874 - 1956

— Tom Peters American writer on business management practices 1942

November 11, 2013.
Tom Peters Daily, Weekly Quote

„Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it.“

— Cal Newport American computer scientist 1982

Source: So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love

Passion

„If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.“

— Colin Powell Former U.S. Secretary of State and retired four-star general 1937

Attitude, Motivational, Back To Work

„If you want enemies, excel your friends; but if you want friends, let your friends excel you.“

— Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

How to Win Friends and Influence People

„Success is about executing what you are doing today with unquestionable, breathtaking excellence.“

— Tom Peters American writer on business management practices 1942

13 February 2017
Tom Peters Daily, Weekly Quote

Success

„What! Think you that my flashes show me
Only in lightnings to excel?
Believe me, friends, you do not know me,
For I can thunder quite as well.“

— Heinrich Heine, Wartet nur

Wartet nur! [Only Wait!] in Poems for the Times ; also in Poems of Heinrich Heine: Three Hundred and Twenty-five Poems (1917) Selected and translated by Louis Untermeyer, p. 262

Thinking

„In any democracy, there is always a tug-of-war between policies to achieve equality and policies to promote excellence. I am certain that Canada can achieve both equality and excellence.“

— John Turner 17th Prime Minister of Canada 1929

1968 Liberal Party Leadership convention speech, April 5, 1968. ( http://ms.radio-canada.ca/archives_new/2006/en/wmv/turner19680405et1.wmv)

War, Democracy

„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.“

— J. R. D. Tata Indian businessman 1904 - 1993

His Biographers remark quoted in “Believing in Perfection” in New India Digest

Perfection

„You see, in this country are a number of youths who do not like to work, and the college is an excellent place for them.“

— L. Frank Baum, book Ozma of Oz

Source: Ozma of Oz

Youth, Country

„If you want to stay in business, satisfy customers. If you want to excel in business, delight customers.“

— Ron Kaufman American author and consultant 1956

Lift Me UP! Service With A Smile (2005)

Business

„You ought to try to make significant contributions to humanity rather than just get along through life comfortably… the life of trying to achieve excellence in some area is in itself a worthy goal… A life without a struggle on your part to make yourself excellent is hardly a life worth living. …a life without such a goal… is merely existing…“

— Richard Hamming American mathematician and information theorist 1915 - 1998

The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn (1991)

Life, Parting

„Excellence - Take what you have and do the BEST with it.“

— Joyce Meyer American author and speaker 1943

„And so modest. Is there anything at which you do not excel?“

— David Gemmell, book Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf

ibid
Drenai series, Waylander II: In the Realm of the Wolf
Context: "I thought you were the best," she chided. "Fathers always seem that way," he said dryly. "But no. With bow or knife I am superb. But with the sword? only excellent." "And so modest. Is there anything at which you do not excel?"

„If you do whatever you do diligently and excellently, you would surely make a difference.“

— Omotola Jalade Ekeinde Nigerian actress and singer 1978

https://naijagists.com/omotola-jalade-ekeinde-wisdom-quotes-top-20-motivational-quotes-sayings-omosexy/Omotola Jalade Ekehinde speaking on Success.

„For my part, I assure you, I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.“

— Alexander the Great King of Macedon -356 - -323 BC

Quoted by Plutarch in Life of Alexander http://books.google.com/books?id=vWIOAAAAYAAJ&q=%22for+my+part+I+assure+you+I+had+rather+excel+others+in+the+knowledge+of+what+is+excellent+than+in+the+extent+of+my+power+and+dominion%22&pg=PA167#v=onepage from Plutarch's Lives as translated by John Dryden (1683)

Knowledge, Parting

„Alexander said, "I assure you I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion."“

— Plutarch ancient Greek historian and philosopher 46 - 127

Life of Alexander
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

Knowledge

„…the excellence of the mental entertainment consists less in the subject than in the author's skill in well dressing it up.“

— Henry Fielding English novelist and dramatist 1707 - 1754

Book I, Chapter 1
The History of Tom Jones (1749)

„I wanted to change the rules of engagement, asking for more— from fewer. I was insisting that we had to have only the best people…If you wanted excellence, at a minimum, the ambience had to reflect excellence.“

— Jack Welch American executive: General Electric CEO 1935

Source: Jack: Straight from the Gut (2001), Ch. 9.

People, Change

„If you want excellence, you must aim at perfection. It has its drawbacks but being finicky is essential.“

— J. R. D. Tata Indian businessman 1904 - 1993

Quotations by 60 Greatest Indians, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology http://resourcecentre.daiict.ac.in/eresources/iresources/quotations.html,

Perfection

„More excellent than the austere, more excellent even than men of knowledge is the Ascetic deemed; more excellent than workers is the Ascetic; therefore be thou Ascetic, Arjuna.“

— W. Douglas P. Hill British Indologist 1884 - 1962

Source: The Bhagavadgītā (1973), p. 123–24. (46.)

Men, Knowledge

„If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less than excellent work.“

Tom Watson9

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