Quotes are great. They often hold important information in a concise, clever, and thought-provoking way. We’ve compiled a list of our 17 most-favorite ones. Please feel free to comment your favorite quote(s) in the comment section below.
“A fool with a plan can outsmart a genius with no plan any day.” – T. Boone Pickens
An individual without a plan is just meaninglessly floating through life. Plans give direction. That being said, a plan (especially a business plan) should evolve when new information presents itself. It is important to adapt to your surrounding environment.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
All too often we let our fear of failure control us. We need to realize that failure is not actually failure if you learn something from it. The important thing is to keep moving.
“Innovation is rewarded. Execution is worshipped.” – Dan Gilbert
Ideas are a dime a dozen. If you can’t turn your vision into reality, you’re just daydreaming. Vision without action is hallucination. It’s all about execution.
“The fool didn’t know it was impossible, so he did it.” – Anonymous
In life, we often let others’ opinions hold us back. People will tell you that you’re not qualified enough, or not educated enough. But the truth is, human willpower is a marvelous thing. It’s often better to just throw yourself into the fire and see what happens. This leads us to our next quote…
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” – Steve Jobs
Amen.
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
A solid quote on leadership. Share the vision with your team. Make it painfully apparent. If all the people you work with believe the organization’s overarching goal, you’ll go far.
“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.” – Albert Einstein
K.I.S.S. = Keep It Simple Stupid.
“Read, but not to remember everything. Read because that 1% that you remember has the potential to change your life.” – CJ Mahane
Unfortunately, people frequently believe they don’t have enough time to read. Please make time. Reading is knowledge and knowledge is power.
“Everyone that you fight is not your enemy and everyone who helps you is not your friend.” – Mike Tyson
Remember this next time you’re at odds with your good friend. Likewise, remember this when someone is trying to use you.
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain
Life is about balance. It is important to keep the big picture in mind. Yes, grades do matter. But when you let your test scores rule you, you often find yourself studying for a grade and forgetting why you’re at school in the first place. Watch this.
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” – William G.T. Shedd
WAKE UP. You only get one shot at this life. Figure out what you were made for and go do it.
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!” – Rocky Balboa
Can you say #MOTIVATION?
“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullsh*t story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” – The Wolf of Wall Street
While he definitely screwed over a lot of people in the past, this is a spectacular quote.
“You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple, right?” – Will Smith
Hard work and raw passion will take you further than skills. Period.
“Travel is the only thing that makes you richer.” – Anonymous
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” A quote about a quote? Talk about inception. Traveling exposes you to different people, cultures, and makes you a more well-rounded, interesting person. Therefore, you should travel.
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What a guy. Be happy people!
“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.” “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.” Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!” At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “It made a difference for that one.” – Loren Eiseley
We know it’s long. But it’s worth the read.
And there you have it. Our 17 most-favorite quotes. Again, please feel free to post your favorite quote(s) in the comment section below.
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