I understand small business growth. I was one.
—George W. Bush (b.1946) American Head of State, Businessperson
That’s free enterprise, friends: freedom to gamble, freedom to lose. And the great thing—the truly democratic thing about it—is that you don’t even have to be a player to lose.
—Barbara Ehrenreich (b.1941) American Social Critic, Essayist
The business of government is to keep the government out of business – that is, unless business needs government aid
—Will Rogers (1879–1935) American Actor, Rancher, Humorist
A friendship founded on business is a good deal better than a business founded on friendship.
—John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) American Oil Magnate, Philanthropist
If you can run one business well, you can run any business well.
—Richard Branson (b.1950) British Entrepreneur
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
Our problem in money-making or government affairs is how to remain properly venturesome and experimental without making fools of ourselves.
—Bernard M. Baruch (1870–1965) American Financier, Economic Consultant
Most men are individuals no longer so far as their business, its activities, or its moralities are concerned. They are not units but fractions; with their individuality and independence of choice in matters of business they have lost all their individual choice within the field of morals.
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) American Head of State
A business exists to create a customer.
—Peter Drucker (1909–2005) Austrian-born Management Consultant
Leisure for people of business, and business for people of leisure would cure many problems.
—Indian Proverb
The man who throws a bomb is an artist, because he prefers a great moment to everything.
—G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) English Journalist, Novelist, Essayist, Poet
If each of us hires people smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs.
—David Ogilvy (1911–99) British-American Advertising Executive
I do not believe a man can ever leave his business. He ought to think of it by day and dream of it by night.
—Henry Ford (1863–1947) American Businessperson, Engineer
I can find only three kinds of business in the universe: mine, yours and God’s. Much of our stress comes from mentally living out of our business. When I think, “You need to get a job, I want you to be happy, you should be on time, you need to take better care of yourself,” I am in your business. When I’m worried about earthquakes, floods, war, or when I will die, I am in God’s business. If I am mentally in your business or in God’s business, the effect is separation.
—Byron Katie (b.1942) American Speaker, Author
If a fellow wants to be a nobody in the business world, let him neglect sending the mail man to somebody on his behalf.
—Charles F. Kettering (1876–1958) American Inventor, Entrepreneur, Businessperson
It is very vulgar to talk about one’s business. Only people like stockbrokers do that, and then merely at dinner parties.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than this incessant business.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
Stressing output is the key to improving productivity, while looking to increase activity can result in just the opposite.
—Andrew Grove (1936–2016) Hungarian-born American Businessperson
Entrepreneurial profit is the expression of the value of what the entrepreneur contributes to production.
—Joseph Schumpeter (1883–1950) Austrian-American Political Economist, Sociologist
Every business and every product has risks. You can’t get around it.
—Lee Iacocca (1924–2019) American Businessperson
In democracies, nothing is more great or more brilliant than commerce: It attracts the attention of the public and fills the imagination of the multitude; all energetic passions are directed towards it.
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–59) French Historian, Political Scientist
Great business turns on a little pin.
—George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh Anglican Poet, Orator, Clergyman
If you don’t do it with excellence, don’t do it at all! Because if it’s not excellent, it won’t be profitable or fun, and if you’re not in business for fun or profit, what the hell are you doing there?
—Robert C. Townsend (1920–98) American Businessman
A man of business may talk of philosophy; a man who has none may practise it.
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744) English Poet
Let every eye negotiate for itself and trust no agent.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
When two friends have a common bank account, one sings and the other weeps.
—Common Proverb
The lesson of all history warns us that we should negotiate only when our military superiority is so convincing that we can achieve our objective at the conference table, and deny the aggressor theirs.
—Richard Nixon (1913–94) American Head of State, Lawyer
Don’t open a shop unless you like to smile.
—Chinese Proverb
As an organization grows and succeeds, it sows the seeds of its own demise by getting boring.
—Seth Godin (b.1960) American Entrepreneur