“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Said Thomas Edison after trying many times and failing to make an invention work.
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” Said Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft after many years of trying to grow his startup.
Is your business not performing the way you want it to? Giving up is not an option. Here are 50 Inspiring business quotes that will make your day.
What's in this guide?
Why are inspirational business quotes important?
It’s normal to have this question in your mind, even though you might not want to voice it out. Inspiring business quotes are direct quotes taken from highly esteemed business owners, founders, successful CEOs/managers, investors, and the like.
Some of these business quotes are cut out of their responses to interviews, part of their public motivational speeches. Some of them are also captivating points directly taken from books written by them.
These quotes can be read and referenced to help other people pass through difficult times. It may (or may not) help them stay motivated and focused.
Inspiring business quotes (alongside motivational speeches and music) can instill positive emotions in readers/listeners, providing just the inspiration they need to achieve their goals.
Also Read: Top 50+ must-know entrepreneur quotes to keep you going
50 Inspiring business quotes for business owners, CEOs, managers, and investors
- “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” — Henry David Thoreau
- “Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” — Chris Grosser
- “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” — Albert Einstein
- “Never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.” — Winston Churchill
- “If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” — Jim Rohn
- “All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.” — Michael John Bobak
- “Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning.” — Robert Kiyosaki
- “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” — Steve Jobs
- “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” — Bruce Lee
- “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” — Colin Powell
- “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” — Albert Schweitzer
- “Fall seven times and stand up eight.” — Japanese proverb
- “In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.” — Nikos Kazantzakis
- “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” — Bill Gates
- “Don’t try to be original, just try to be good.” — Paul Rand
- “Fortunes are built during the down market and collected in the upmarket.” — Jason Calacanis
- “Data beats emotions.” — Sean Rad
- “The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.” — Socrates
- “I never dreamed about success, I worked for it.” — Estee Lauder
- “Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill
- “Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember—the only taste of success some people get is to take a bite out of you.” — Zig Ziglar
- “The best revenge is massive success.” — Frank Sinatra
- “What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.” — Oscar Wilde
- “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” — Robert Collier
- “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” — Pablo Picasso
- “If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problems and start focusing on the size of you!” — T. Harv Eker
- “The No. 1 reason people fail in life is because they listen to their friends, family and neighbors.” — Napoleon Hill
- “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” — Vidal Sassoon
- “In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is desire. No reasons or principle contain it or stand against it.” — Jane Smiley
- “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” — Thomas Edison
- “I failed my way to success.” — Thomas Edison
- “The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.” — Robert Hughes
- “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
- “Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.” — John Maxwell
- “If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” — Reid Hoffman
- “You can’t make anything viral, but you can make something good.” — Peter Shankman
- “The starting point of all achievement is desire.” — Napoleon Hill
- “Anything that is measured and watched, improves.” — Bob Parsons
- “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
- “Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion.” — Tony Hsieh
- “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t—you’re right.” — Henry Ford
- “The fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be.” — Reid Hoffman
- “You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” — Steve Jobs
- “Have the end in mind and every day make sure you’re working towards it.” — Ryan Allis
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” — Aristotle
- “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Thomas A. Edison
- “Don’t quit! Wake up! Strive now and live the rest of your life as a champion. See you at the top!” –Victor Iyiola
Conclusion
As a business owner, you should be like Steve Jobs who only targets where the customers are going, and not where they’ve been.
Always think outside of the box. But don’t get this wrong and try doing something that will run you out of business. Thinking outside of the box means exploring everything you’re not yet doing to reach your goals.
Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength. There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits to human intelligence, imagination, and wonder. See you at the top!