Running a business is hard work, and it can be easy to get down or lose your motivation.

With that in mind,

here are 111 quotes that I have appreciated. I hope you find them insightful! I highlighted a few that stood out to
me (and I threw in a few funny ones for good measure).
If you know of any other good quotes please add them in the comments.
1. Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without
the strategy. Norman Schwarzkopf
2. A meeting is an event at which the minutes are kept and the hours are lost. Unknown
3. You are not your resume, you are your work. Seth Godin
4. Beware of any enterprise requiring new clothes. Henry Thoreau
5. One finds limits by pushing them. Herbert Simon
6. If you see a bandwagon, its too late. James Goldsmith
7. Business opportunities are like buses, theres always another one coming. Richard Branson
8. You must be the change you wish to see in the world. Mahatma Gandhi
9. You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you dont do too many things wrong.
Warren Buffett
10. The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong.
The amount of work is the same. Carlos Castaneda
11. Theres no shortage of remarkable ideas, whats missing is the will to execute them. Seth Godin
12. The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas of enthusiasm.
Thomas J. Watson
13. Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert Einstein
14. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. Theodore
Roosevelt
15. Change is not a threat, its an opportunity. Survival is not the goal, transformative success is. Seth
Godin
16. Even if you are on the right track, Youll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers
17. You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills. Jim Rohn
18. Look well to this day. Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived
makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore
to this day. Francis Gray
19. Imagination is everything. It is the preview of lifes coming attractions. Albert Einstein
20. Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
Dwight Eisenhower
21. Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. Napoleon Bonaparte
22. To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart. Sr.
Thomas Watson
23. Every accomplishment starts with a decision to try. Unknown
24. The first one gets the oyster the second gets the shell. Andrew Carnegie
25. Whether you think you can or whether you think you cant, youre right! Henry Ford
26. A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts. Richard
Branson
27. We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action. Fear is natures way of warning us to get
busy. Dr. Henry Link
28. People rarely buy what they need. They buy what they want. Seth Godin
29. Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition in having put forth the
best within you. Henry J. Kaiser
30. Success is often achieved by those who dont know that failure is inevitable. Coco Chanel
31. A man should never neglect his family for business. Walt Disney
32. Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly and get on with
improving your other innovations. Steve Jobs
33. The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors
do. Roy L. Smith

34. Business is more exciting than any game. Lord Beaverbrook

35. The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand,
concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they cant do.
Dennis Waitley
36. Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Cyril Northcote
Parkinson/Parkinsons Law.
37. I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity. Oprah Winfrey
38. Ideas in secret die. They need light and air or they starve to death. Seth Godin
39. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. Unknown
40. My son is now an entrepreneur. Thats what youre called when you dont have a job. Ted Turner
41. The man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar,
instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed. Henry Ford
42. For all of its faults, it gives most hardworking people a chance to improve themselves economically,
even as the deck is stacked in favor of the privileged few. Here are the choices most of us face in such a
system: Get bitter or get busy. Bill O Reilly
43. Please think about your legacy, because youre writing it every day. Gary Vaynerchuck
44. Victory goes to the player who makes the nexttolast mistake. Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower
45. I like thinking big. If youre going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big. Donald Trump
46. Surviving a failure gives you more selfconfidence. Failures are great learning tools but they must be
kept to a minimum. Jeffrey Immelt
47. To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult. Johann Wolfgang Von
Goeth
48. Yesterdays home runs dont win todays games. Babe Ruth
49. The only way around is through. Robert Frost
50. The new source of power is not money in the hands of a few, but information in the hands of many.
John Naisbitt
51. The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. Its as simple as that. A lot of people
have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next
week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. Nolan Bushnell
52. You miss 100 percent of the shots you dont take Wayne Gretzky
53. Successful people are the ones who are breaking the rules. Seth Godin
54. To the degree were not living our dreams; our comfort zone has more control of us than we have over
ourselves. Peter McWilliams
55. Saying no to loud people gives you the resources to say yes to important opportunities. Seth Godin
56. To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted. George
Kneller
57. Business in a combination of War and sport. Andre Maurois
58. To succeed You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to
inspire you. Tony Dorsett
59. Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them more. Oscar Wilde
60. All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind. Aristotle
61. Winning is not a sometime thing; its an all time thing. You dont win once in a while, you dont do
things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
Vince Lombardi
62. There is no security on the earth, there is only opportunity. General Douglas MacArthur
63. Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether. Unknown
64. Hire character. Train skill. Peter Schutz
65. For maximum attention, nothing beats a good mistake. Unknown
66. Early to bed and early to rise probably indicates unskilled labor. John Ciardi
67. Dont worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, youll have to ram them down
peoples throats. Howard Aiken

68. It takes more than capital to swing business. Youve got to have the A. I. D. degree to get by
Advertising, Initiative, and Dynamics. Ren Mulford Jr.
69. A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor. Unknown
70. The worst part of success is to try to find someone who is happy for you. Bette Midler
71. Your time is precious, so dont waste it living someone elses life. Steve Jobs
72. Only when the tide goes out do you discover whos been swimming naked. Warren Buffett
73. Your income is directly related to your philosophy, NOT the economy. Jim Rohn
74. The NBA is never just a business. Its always business. Its always personal. All good businesses are
personal. The best businesses are very personal. Mark Cuban
75. Fire the committee. No great website in history has been conceived of by more than three people. Not
one. This is a deal breaker. Seth Godin
76. Once you free yourself from the need for perfect acceptance, its a lot easier to launch work that matters.
Seth Godin
77. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you
choose. Dr. Seuss
78. It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to
change. Charles Darwin
79. The golden rule for every business man is this: Put yourself in your customers place. Orison Swett
Marden
80. To win without risk is to triumph without glory. Pierre Corneille
81. People dont believe what you tell them. They rarely believe what you show them. They often believe
what their friends tell them. They always believe what they tell themselves. Seth Godin
82. A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.
David Brinkley
83. Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you dont need to escape
from. Seth Godin
84. I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Dont sit down and wait for the
opportunities to come. Get up and make them! C.J. Walker
85. People are best convinced by things they themselves discover. Ben Franklin
86. I dont pay good wages because I have a lot of money; I have a lot of money because I pay good wages.
Robert Bosch
87. Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas
Edison
88. Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life
believing it is stupid Einstein
89. Do or do not. There is no try. Yoda
90. Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. Bill Gates
91. Leadership is doing what is right when no one is watching. George Van Valkenburg
92. In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the
cash will come later. Harold Geneen
93. Those who say it can not be done, should not interrupt those doing it. Chinese Proverb
94. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful
things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into riches.
Napoleon Hill
95. To succeed in business, to reach the top, an individual must know all it is possible to know about that
business. J. Paul Getty
96. A consultant is someone who takes the watch off your wrist and tells you the time. Unknown
97. The absolute fundamental aim is to make money out of satisfying customers. John Egan
98. If you would like to know the value of money, try to borrow some. Benjamin Franklin
99. If it really was a nobrainer to make it on your own in business thered be millions of nobrained,
harebrained, and otherwise dubiously brained individuals quitting their day jobs and hanging out their

own shingles. Nobody would be left to round out the workforce and execute the business plan. Bill
Rancic
100.
Get busy living or get busy dying. from the The Shawshank Redemption
101.
Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the
view from the top so exhilarating. Denis Waitley
102.
Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get
excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business. Zig
Ziglar
103.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. Vidal Sassoon
104.
Speak the truth, but leave immediately after. Unknown
105.
The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not
try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it. Debbi Fields
106.
Are you a serial ideastarting person? The goal is to be an ideashipping person. Seth Godin
107.
The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, youre still a rat. Lilly Tomlin
108.
Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if youre not frightened
by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were. David Rockefeller
109.
If you work just for money, youll never make it, but if you love what youre doing and you
always put the customer first, success will be yours. Ray Kroc
110.
Longrange planning works best in the short term. Doug Evelyn
111.
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninetynine percent perspiration. Thomas A. Edison
112.
The life of a billionaire must be pretty awesome, there's no doubt about that. It's not a cakewalk,
though.
113.
In fact, some of the world's wealthiest and most successful people have also had the greatest
challenges to overcome. One of the biggest differences between the super successful and average people
might be their resilience.
114.
Let's see what some of the wealthiest people on the planet have to say about being resilient:
115.
1. "I wouldn't be where I am now if I didn't fail ... a lot. The good, the bad, it's all part of the
success equation." -Mark Cuban
116.
2. "Part of being a winner is knowing when enough is enough. Sometimes you have to give up
the fight and walk away, and move on to something that's more productive." -Donald Trump
117.
3. "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -Henry Ford
118.
4. "No matter what your current condition, how or where you grew up, or what education or
training you feel you lack, you can be successful in your chosen endeavor. It is spirit, fortitude, and
hardiness that matter more than where you start." -Jack Ma
119.
5. "The most dangerous poison is the feeling of achievement. The antidote is to, every evening,
think what can be done better tomorrow." -Ingvar Kamprad
120.
6. "Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard
line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown." -H. Ross Perot
121.
7. "It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." -Bill
Gates
122.
8. "Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest
steppingstones to success." -Dale Carnegie
123.
9. "I just love it when people say I can't do it, there's nothing that makes me feel better, because
all my life, people have said that I wasn't going to make it." -Ted Turner
124.
10. "Failure is not the outcome-failure is not trying. Don't be afraid to fail." -Sara Blakely
125.
11. "Everyone experiences tough times; it is a measure of your determination and dedication how
you deal with them and how you can come through them." -Lakshmi Mittal
126.
12. "You don't learn to walk by following the rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over." Richard Branson
127.
13. "I'm only rich because I know when I'm wrong ... I basically have survived by recognizing
my mistakes." -George Soros

128.
14. "If you want to succeed, you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths
of accepted success." -John Rockefeller
129.
15. "I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realized, and I was still alive, and I
still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom
became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life." --J.K. Rowling
130.
16. "Formula for success: Rise early, work hard, strike oil." -J. Paul Getty
131.
17. "I knew that if I failed I wouldn't regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not
trying." -Jeff Bezos
132.
18. "If you are hardworking and determined, you will make it and that's the bottom line. I don't
believe in an easy way." -Isabel dos Santos
133.
19. The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if
you're willing to work. -- Oprah Winfrey

134. Here are my top 50 motivational quotes for business, success

and life.
135.
1. Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. ~ John Wayne
136.
2. If you dont make things happen then things will happen to you. ~ Robert Collier
137.
3. A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts. ~
Richard Branson
138.
4. Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition in having put
forth the best within you. ~ Henry J. Kaiser
139.
5. Winning is not a sometime thing; its an all time thing. You dont win once in a while, you
dont do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time.Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so
is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
140.
6. You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to
win. ~ Zig Ziglar
141.
7. A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. ~ Henry Ford
142.
8. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And
powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated
into riches. ~ Napoleon Hill
143.
9. To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your
heart. ~ Thomas Watson, Sr.
144.
10. Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. ~ Winston Churchill
145.
11. To succeed You need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you,
something to inspire you. ~ Tony Dorsett
146.
12. Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out. ~ John Wooden
147.
13. Youve got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have
it. Its called perseverance. ~ Lee Iacocca
148.
14. Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what youre going to do now
and do it. ~ William Durant
149.
15. I find that when you have a real interest in life and a curious life, that sleep is not the most
important thing. ~ Martha Stewart
150.
16. Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if youre not
frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were. ~ David
Rockefeller
151.
17. Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. ~ Maya Angelou
152.
18. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
153.
19. If you are going through hell, keep going. ~ Winston Churchill
154.
20. It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop. ~ Confucius
155.
21. Ive always believed that one womans success can only help another womans success. ~
Gloria Vanderbilt

156.
22. Life isnt worth living unless youre willing to take some big chances and go for broke. ~
Eliot Wiggington
157.
23. Lifes challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; theyre supposed to help you discover
who you are. ~ Bernice Johnson Reagon
158.
24. The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. ~ Bruce Lee
159.
25. You cant connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.
So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.
160.
26. You have to trust in something your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has
never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. ~ Steve Jobs
161.
27. If you dont value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents.
Value what you know and start charging for it. ~ Kim Garst
162.
28. Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and
confidence. ~ Helen Keller
163.
29. People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things.
When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success. ~ Norman Vincent Peale
164.
30. Progress always involves risks. You cant steal second base and keep your foot on first. ~
Frederick B Wilcox
165.
Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. ~Henry Ford
166.
32. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didnt do than
by the ones you did do. ~ Mark Twain
167.
33. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. ~ Jimmy Johnson
168.
34. The essential question is not, How busy are you? but What are you busy at? ~ Oprah
Winfrey
169.
35. If you genuinely want something, dont wait for it teach yourself to be impatient. ~
Gurbaksh Chahal
170.
36. There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. ~ Beverly Sills
171.
37. We can let circumstances rule us, or we can take charge and rule our lives from within. ~
Earl Nightingale
172.
38. Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out. ~ Robert Collier
173.
39. I have not failed. Ive just found 10,000 ways that wont work. ~ Thomas A. Edison
174.
40. Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let
the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea
alone. This is the way to success. ~ Swami Vivekananda
175.
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength,
the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. ~ Harriet Tubman
176.
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. ~
Buddha
177.
Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. ~ Henry Ford

178.
44. When I dare to be powerful to use my strength in the
service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid. ~ Audre Lorde
179.
Dont let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning. ~ Robert Kiyosaki
180.
If you work just for money, youll never make it, but if you love what youre doing and you
always put the customer first, success will be yours. ~ Ray Kroc
181.
The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. ~ Vidal Sassoon
182.
The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not
try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it. ~ Debbi Fields
183.
Have a very good reason for everything you do. ~ Laurence Olivier
184.
Capital isnt scarce; vision is. ~ Sam Walton