The Odd, Riveting and Inspiring Things that People have said
As engineering director and general visionary at CivilGEO I can easily get consumed with the details of running a business. Preoccupation with team management, product design and sales often makes me lose sight of the bigger picture and the WHY behind what I do. I know others have been in my position—stuck in the mire of the day to day—and would probably welcome some inspiration. Here are twenty insightful quotes I have collected over the years from people whose principles, values and general life histories I admire.
On Managing Challenges, Personal and Otherwise
- A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Winston S. Churchill
- All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me…. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. Walt Disney
- Tough times never last, but tough people do. Robert H. Schuller
- There’s nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing anyway. Mark Burnett
- Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. Robert F. Kennedy
On Growing a Business
- The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it. Theodore Roosevelt
- I always invest my own money in the companies that I create. I don’t believe in the whole thing of just using other people’s money. I don’t think that’s right. I’m not going to ask other people to invest in something if I’m not prepared to do so myself. Elon Musk
- Businesses often forget about the culture and ultimately they suffer for it, because they cannot deliver good service from unhappy employees. Tony Hsieh
- Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough. Elon Musk
- Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. Steve Jobs
On Leadership
- Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand. General Colin Powell
- My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better. Steve Jobs
- What you do has far greater impact than what you say. Stephen Covey
- Earn your leadership every day. Michael Jordan
- To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. Eleanor Roosevelt
On Life
- You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. Albert Einstein
- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. Thomas Jefferson
- Forget yesterday—it has already forgotten you. Don’t sweat tomorrow—you haven’t even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift—today. Steve Maraboli
- Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Thomas A. Edison
- We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle