Great Quotes

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something I sell it, and I sell it hard. – Estee Lauder, businesswoman

There is no free lunch on Wall Street.

Business is all about solving people’s problems, at a profit – Paul Marsden, businessman

Kaizen: Focus on continuous daily improvements. Small operational efficiencies eventually equate to huge gains.

The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of a mistake – Meg Whitman, U.S. Ambassador

Trading is like the game of golf. The harder you try the worse you get.

It’s not what you earn it’s what you keep.

There are old investors and bold investors, but there are no old bold investors.

You are dealing with a lot of silly people in the marketplace, it’s like a great big casino and everyone else is boozing – Warren Buffett

In predicting financial markets: He who lives by the crystal ball will eat shattered glass – Ray Dalio, hedge fund manager

Mistakes fade away, but a single winning decision can make a breathtaking difference over time – Warren Buffett

There is only one side of the market, not the bull side or the bear side, but the right side – Jesse Livermore, trader

Bad investors think of ways to make money, good investors think of ways to not lose.

Growth is painful, change is painful, but there’s nothing as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.

Your work will fill a large part of your life. The only way to be truly satisfied is do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is love what you do – Steve Jobs

Your manager has more impact on mental health than your therapist or your doctor. Having a great boss can literally change your life.

People who are exceptional in business aren’t so because of what they know, it’s their insatiable need to know more – Milton Hershey, chocolatier

If you want to succeed, forge new paths rather than travel worn ones of accepted success – John Rockefeller, businessman

Live ambitiously

Surround yourself with people that push you to do and be better. No drama or negativity just higher goals and motivation. Good times and positive energy, no jealousy or hate. Simply bring out the absolute best in each other – Warren Buffett

Certain things just take time. You can’t create a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant – Warren Buffett

If you don’t find a way to make money while sleeping, you’ll work til you die – Warren Buffett

Someone is sitting in the shade today because they planted a tree long ago – Warren Buffett

Don’t get mad when being rejected, they’ve done a huge favor by not wasting your time and playing with you. – Jack Ma

Think big or don’t get out of bed.

Almost everything ever accomplished in our history depended entirely on team collaboration.

Fun is one of the most important and underrated ingredients in any successful venture. – Richard Branson

Swim upstream. Do the other way. Ignore conventional wisdom. – Sam Walton, Walmart Founder

Those who keep learning will keep rising in life. – Charlie Munger

Saving is not a sacrifice, it’s an opportunity.

Your salary is the bribe they provide to forget your dreams.

Don’t try and do everything. Double down and hyper focus on personal strengths and talents. Delegate all else.

You rarely do things too fast. – Jack Welch

I think business is very simple. Take sales subtract costs and you get this huge positive number.  The math is quite straight forward. – Bill Gates

Be your own boss, resist temptation to follow the leader. – Fortune Cookie

Control your own destiny or someone else will for you. – Jack Welch

Our customers are loyal to us right up until the second someone offers them a better service. And I love that, it’s super motivating for us. – Jeff Bezos

Your value does not decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.

Make it your mission in life to win people over by delivering crushing amounts of value.

Never push loyal people to the point where they don’t give a damn. – Peter Drucker

Culture stems from the top. Business is nothing more than the sum of the people involved.

Income seldom exceeds personal development.

In order to be successful, you’re betting against consensus and you must be right. – Ray Dalio

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. – Bill Gates

Forget about your competitors, just focus on your customers. – Jack Ma

CALMNESS

Never tolerate negative energy.

Master patience and you master everything else.

The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater his success, influence and power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom – James Allen, author

The heaviest burdens we carry are the thoughts in our head.

The most important thing is Enjoy Your Life, peace of mind is all that matters – Audrey Hepburn, actress

Think with logic not emotion.

True power is to sit back and observe emotion free.

Don’t get upset with people or situations, both are powerless without your reaction.

Master calmness, it’s a super power – Bruce Lee.

Train your mind to be calm in EVERY negative situation.

Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.

Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace.

An unforgiving soul is without rest. Learn to let go and forgive.

Forgive others, not because they deserve it, but because you deserve peace.

CHALLENGES

You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.

There is no education like adversity.

10% of life is what happens to you, 90% is how you react.

I am always doing that which I cannot do in order to learn how – Pablo Picasso, painter

If you have to choose between an easy thing and a hard thing, the hard one’s usually a lot more fun – Sam Cristoforetti, astronaut

COMMUNICATION

Open your mind before your mouth.

Words are ENERGY. Don’t speak negatively even as a joke. Your body doesn’t know the difference. Speak positivity and change your life – Bruce Lee, Actor and Martial Artist.

A wise man once said nothing.

You can simplify, simplify, simplify, yet still find incredible ways to simplify further – Steve Wozniak.

No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care – Theodore Roosevelt.

CONFIDENCE – BELIEVE IN YOUR ABILITIES

Let me listen to myself and not to them.

Never underestimate how well you’ll do in life.

Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do – Dr Spock, pediatrician

Don’t compare yourself with anyone else in this world. If you do, you are insulting yourself – Bill Gates

Do not allow negative thoughts to enter your mind for they are the weeds that strangle confidence. – Bruce Lee

Worrying is empty thinking.

Be confident in what you’re doing. If you’re not, you might as well not be doing it – Aretha Franklin.

Take a deep breath and remember who the heck you are.

COURAGE – FACES YOUR FEARS

Fear exists nowhere except in your mind – Dale Carnegie

If you have everything under control, you’re not moving fast enough – Mario Andretti

Conquer your fears and incredible things happen – Renee Brinkerhoff, race-car driver

Embrace uncertainty with redundancy plans included – Think like a Rocket Scientist

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being excited for what could go right. – Tony Robbins

Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.

You must be at your strongest when you’re feeling at your weakest.

Know your worth. You must find the courage to leave the table if respect is no longer being served.

Choose courage over comfort.

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. – Andre’ Gide.

Fear defeats more people than anything in the world. – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Great things never come from comfort zones.

EFFORT

Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat the luckier you get. – Ray Kroc

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

Progress is progress no matter how small.

Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do. Not a punishment for what you ate.

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going – Beverly Sills, Opera Singer.

The fact that you aren’t where you want to be should be enough motivation.

Never, ever give up, always keep fighting even when there’s only a slightest chance – Michael Schumacher, 7 Time Formula 1 World Champion.

DOn’t quIT … DO IT

What comes easy won’t last long, and what lasts long won’t come easy.

Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.

Work requires an obsessive level. You must be great not just good.

EXCELLENCE

No matter how good you get you can always get better and that’s the exciting part – Tiger Woods, golfer

Good is the enemy of great.

Good enough never is – Debbie Fields, Entrepreneur.

Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles – Steve Jobs.

You have to learn rules of the game and THEN play better than anyone else – Albert Einstein.

It is not enough to have a good mind, the main thing is to use it well – Rene Descartes, French Philosopher, Mathematician and Scientist.

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would astound ourselves – Thomas Edison.

Surmounting difficulty is the crucible that forms character – Anthony Robbins.

The only person you should try to be better than is who you were yesterday.

GOALS

Goals are as essential to success as air is to life.

Your goals don’t care how you feel.

Have goals so big, so unrealistic, that you can’t achieve them until you grow into the person that can.

GROWTH

Constantly find new ways to improve yourself or you’ll get worse over time.

The sweetest revenge is self growth.

Identify what stops you from being your ideal self.

Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over just sitting there.

Go with the choice that scares you the most.

There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination and wonder – Ronald Reagan.

Use pain as a stepping stone, not a camp ground – Alan Cohen.

Your only limit is you.

The harder I push, the more I find within myself – Ayrton Senna.

I’ve learned it’s important not to limit yourself. You can do whatever you love no matter what it is. – Ryan Gosling.

Being alone is a power very few can handle.

Your only competition is yourself. Master your mind and emotions, you’ll master the world.

No one is going to put more pressure on me than myself – Daniel Ricciardo.

We don’t grow when things are easy. We grow when things get difficult.

Every next level of your life will demand a different you – Leonardo Dicaprio.

HAPPINESS

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you’re doing, you will be successful – Albert Schweitzer, theologian

The only real conflict you’ll ever have in your life won’t be with others, but with yourself.

Build a life you won’t need a vacation from.

Arrival fallacy: Happiness isn’t a destination it’s a direction.

Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner – Lao Tzu

Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you, or makes you happy.

Life is short, it’s up to you to make it sweet.

Spend time with friends and family, travel.

Honoring where you are in life today leads to harmony, balance and sufficiency.

There is no better high than discovery – E.O. Wilson

You’re responsible for your own happiness. Find joy in all you do. Love it or change it.

One day you’ll look back and realize you worried too much about things that don’t really matter.

Happiness of life stems from the quality of thoughts.

Happiness doesn’t depend on how much you have to enjoy but how much you enjoy what you have.

Surround yourself only with people who are going to lift you higher – Oprah Winfry.

Negative thoughts will destroy you. Always keep a positive attitude.

Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind and emotions.

Protect what you love.

The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams – Oprah Winfrey.

Do whatever it takes, make a beautiful abundant life for yourself. Step into who you are meant to be.

Very little is needed to make a happy life, it’s all within yourself, in your way of thinking.

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated – Confucius.

You live most of your life inside your head. Make sure it’s a nice place to be.

HUMOR

It takes a lot of money to look this cheap – Dolly Parton

If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room – Anita Roddick, businesswoman

In one ear, out my ass – RJB

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I am not sure about the former – Albert Einstein

I watched the Indy 500 and was thinking that if they left earlier they wouldn’t have to go so fast – Steven Wright, comedian

For bloody sake turn off the news and turn on some music – Robert Plant, musician

I used to think I was indecisive, but now I’m not sure.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it. – David Lee Roth, Van Halen

When things don’t happen right away, just remember: It takes 6 months to build a Rolls Royce and 13 hours to build a Toyota.

Startup CEO’s sleep like a baby. They wake up every hour crying.

I’m 25% Gold, 25% equities, 25% bonds, 25% real estate, and 25% cash.  I use the same accounting standards as the U.S. Treasury. – Marc Faber, Investor

Grab ‘em by the tie, choke ’em til they buy. – Terry Slattery

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has it’s limits – Albert Einstein.

Our bodies are a playground not a temple – Anthony Bourdain.

I used to have a photographic memory, but it was never developed.

Complaining about a problem without proposing a solution is called whining – Teddy Roosevelt.

Learn what is to be taken seriously and laugh at the rest – Hermann Hesse.

Life is too short to be normal. Stay weird.

They say good things take time, that’s why I’m always late.

Listen, smile, agree and then do whatever you were gonna do anyway.

Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution – Albert Einstein.

Of course I talk to myself, sometimes I need expert advice.

You never know who’s swimming naked until the tide goes out – Warren Buffet.

IMAGINATION

Logic will get you from point a to point b, imagination will take you everywhere – Albert Einstein

Assume nothing.

I became free when realizing the cage was my own mind.

Imagination is more important than knowledge – Einstein

Everything you can imagine is real – Picasso

A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it isn’t open – Frank Zappa

KINDNESS AND CHARACTER

The relationship you have with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have. – Robert Holden, Psychologist

Be nice and respectful to everyone, the world would be a much better place – Charles Leclerc, Formula 1 driver

Be fearlessly authentic – Dove chocolate wrapper.

It’s all right to be Goliath but always act like David – Phil Knight, co-founder, Nike

To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors.

Attitude costs nothing.

A perfect day is doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

Be forgiving, be understanding, but don’t be a fool.

Choose to forgive those who hurt you, it takes away their power.

KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Leonardo da Vinci, Polymath

One mark of a great mind is the willingness to change it.

You have 100 billion brain cells. Use them, rewire them.

I just try to learn from every mistake so as to NEVER make them again – Patrick Mahomes, NFL quarterback

When you’ve made as many mistakes as I have, then you too can be as good as me – Wolfgang Puck, chef

The biggest disability you can have is a Bad mindset.

The greatest thing in life is to keep the mind young. Always keep learning – Henry Ford

If you win you’ll be happy, if you lose you’ll be wise.

Eat food as medicine or soon you’ll be eating medicine as food.

If everybody is thinking alike then somebody isn’t thinking – General George Patton

The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding – Leonardo da Vinci, artist

Books, minds and umbrellas only work if they’re open.

Knowledge is one of THE most scarce of all resources.

Your mind is a weapon, keep it loaded.

The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding – Leonardo da Vinci.

OPPORTUNITY

Opportunities are like sunrises, wait too long and you miss them.

Every problem is an opportunity.

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door -Milton Berle, actor

The world is OVERFLOWING with opportunities, take full advantage of them all.

Dear optimist, pessimist and realist, while you were busy arguing about the glass of water, I drank it, thanks.

When nothing goes right, go left.

Great opportunities never have “great opportunity” in the subject line.

PERSISTENCE

You’ve got to play the game of averages. If you try enough ambitious things, a bunch of them work out – Sridhar Ramaswamy, Snowflake CEO

I have failed over and over again in my life. And that’s precisely why I succeed – Michael Jordan.

I am not discouraged, every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward – Thomas Edison.

Do it over and over again until it becomes part of who you are.

I have not failed. I’ve just discovered 10,000 ways that won’t work – Thomas Edison.

POSSIBILITY

All progress depends on the unreasonable man.

I like a man who attempts the impossible – J.P. Morgan

Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations – Mae Jemison, astronaut

NOTHING is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible. – Audrey Hepburn

It’s only impossible because I haven’t figured it out yet.

You have to believe in the impossible. – Howard Head – Sports Gear Maker

When our ability exceeds our awareness, that’s when we do great things.

PURPOSE

Test out what works for you, that’s the most important thing. Trial and error paramount.

Often people who live the longest don’t retire. Having continual flow of optimal experience is key.

Find something you’re tremendously passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it – Julia Child, chef

Choose your own path, not the one others wish you to walk.

The things that excite you are not random. They are connected to your purpose. Follow them.

RESILIENCE

Rock bottom will teach you lessons that mountain tops never will.

You can always turn a negative into a positive

No one can ruin your day without your permission – Steve Gilliland

It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up – Vince Lombardi, football coach

RISK

If you risk Nothing, you risk Everything.

Don’t play for safety. It’s the most dangerous thing in the world – Hugh Walpole, English Novelist.

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly – Robert Kennedy.

Take chances and risks they’re worth it – Dove Chocolate Wrapper.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing – Helen Keller.

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go – T.S. Eliot.

It is better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.

If you don’t take risks, you will always work for someone who does.

SUCCESS

Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. – Andrew Grove, Intel founder

The ability to execute is the most underrated skill of highly successful people.

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will – Vince Lombardi

Success is stumbling from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm – Winston Churchill

Love your life, take pictures of everything and make it the best story in the world. Don’t waste it. So many of us die and no one remembers a thing we did.

People with the most potential are the ones who know they have a lot to learn.

There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.

Success is no accident it’s hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all love of what you are doing – Pele, soccer star

I never dreamed about success, I worked for it – Estee Lauder, entrepreneur

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates talented people from successful ones is a lot of hard work – Stephen King, Author

Trouble with most of us is we’d rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.

My attitude is never to be satisfied, never enough, never – Duke Ellington, musician

The only place success comes before work is the dictionary. – Vidal Sassoon

Try not to become a person of success but rather a person of value. – Albert Einstein

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. – Maya Angelou

When asked what attributed to his success: Work, hard work, and more intelligent hard work – James J. Hill, Legendary Railroad Tycoon

You’ve got to embrace the struggle as much as the reward.

I failed my way to success – Thomas Edison

You control the day, or the day controls you.

People who embrace uncertainty and change have the best grip on reality – Ryan Graves, Uber’s first employee.

The real definition of success is being at peace with yourself.

Stop reading success stories and create your own.

Do what the average fear and success will be near.

TIME

Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.

The biggest difference between money and time, you always know much money you have, but never know how much time.

Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think – Johan Wofgang von Goethe

There may not be a tomorrow so it needs to happen today and now. There needs to be a sense of urgency in everything you do.

Time is the ONLY asset can you can never get back. You never truly own it – Mark Cuban

Don’t count the days, make the days count.

Your time is limited. Don’t waste it spending someone else’s life. Steve Jobs

Travel. Your money will return, your time won’t.

It’s never too late to become what you might have been. – George Elliot, Author.

This is your YOLO Moment – you only live once. – Daymond John, Shark Tank

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.

You will never have this day again. Make it count.

Live life with no regrets.

Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do. – Steve Jobs

Make fun a priority. – Richard Branson

One of the most expensive things you could ever do is pay attention to the wrong people.

Live everyday as if it’s your last, because one day you’ll be right.

Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.

Don’t forget we’re all circling the same drain.

Make today count, you’ll never get it back.

Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.

In the end you only have yourself.

VISION

The best camera is the one with you.

Focus on what matters.

You can’t rely on your eyes when imagination is out of focus – Mark Twain, Author.

The mind is like water, when turbulent it’s difficult to see, when calm, everything becomes clear – Dalai Lama.

WINNING

I never lose, I either win or I learn – Nelson Mandela

Talent is everywhere, winning attitude is not.

Every time, all the time, I’m a perfectionist. I feel I should never lose – Chris Evert, tennis player

Nobody remembers who finished 2nd other than the person who finished 2nd. – Bobby Unser

The only way to beat a toxic person, don’t play.