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

1. A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Winston S. Churchill
2. 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
3. Tough times never last, but tough people do. Robert H. Schuller
4. There’s nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing anyway. Mark Burnett
5. Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. Robert F. Kennedy

On Growing a Business

6. 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
7. 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
8. Businesses often forget about the culture and ultimately they suffer for it, because they cannot deliver good service from unhappy employees. Tony Hsieh
9. Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough. Elon Musk
10. Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. Steve Jobs

On Leadership

11. 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
12. 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
13. What you do has far greater impact than what you say. Stephen Covey
14. Earn your leadership every day. Michael Jordan
15. To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. Eleanor Roosevelt

On Life

16. You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. Albert Einstein
17. In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. Thomas Jefferson
18. 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
19. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. Thomas A. Edison
20. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle