“The world is lying to you. It tells you that in 10,000 hours you can become excellent at what you do and that your strength will never wane. That is a complete, utter, falsehood. At some point, the party must end. At some point, the greatness that came to define who 'you' are will wane.”— Arthur C. Brooks
The quote archive
A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.
You have to re-earn your customer's business every single day – it's not just about listening to them, but anticipating what they don't realise they need, and staying ahead of them.
— Mark CubanBillionaire Investor, Shark Tank Investor & Dallas Mavericks Owner
In business, you can drown in opportunity.
— Mark CubanBillionaire Investor, Shark Tank Investor & Dallas Mavericks Owner
You need to work like someone's trying to take it all away from you, because they are.
— Mark CubanBillionaire Investor, Shark Tank Investor & Dallas Mavericks Owner
Taking that first step is your biggest competitive advantage; most people won't do it.
— Mark CubanBillionaire Investor, Shark Tank Investor & Dallas Mavericks Owner
As an entrepreneur, I got my education out in the world – real life learning is the way forward for young entrepreneurs. And this is what we must encourage and support.
— Richard BransonFounder of Virgin Group & British Billionaire Entrepreneur
True success in life can only be gauged by something which is priceless; how much love you have in your life – I am truly fortunate to be surrounded by extremely loving and fun family and friends and nothing beats spending time with the people I love.
— Richard BransonFounder of Virgin Group & British Billionaire Entrepreneur
Money is not my first priority – I have always pursued what I am passionate about whether that will make me money or not, my fascination is learning and discovery more than being rich and powerful.
— Richard BransonFounder of Virgin Group & British Billionaire Entrepreneur
The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated yourself. You should treat your employees like the smart and capable adults they are. Give them the choice to make informed decisions and you will cultivate an environment in which everyone can flourish.
— Richard BransonFounder of Virgin Group & British Billionaire Entrepreneur
If you fall flat on your face, at least you're moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again!
— Richard BransonFounder of Virgin Group & British Billionaire Entrepreneur
You are going to have to get out there and sell yourself. Make a fool of yourself – whatever it takes. Make sure you appear on the front page and not the back pages.
— Richard BransonFounder of Virgin Group & British Billionaire Entrepreneur
The area under the curve over time is greater if you keep your prices low than if you jack them up to maximise revenue. I'd get kicked out of a business school for saying something like that, but it's true.
— Jim McKelveyCo-Founder of Square & Mobile Payment Pioneer
Most people don't know why an airplane stays in the air, but they'll still get on and fly to another continent.
— Jim McKelveyCo-Founder of Square & Mobile Payment Pioneer
You should try and copy everything you possibly can! It's just that if you run out of alternatives, if you run out of options to copy, you will realise that your entire life has conditioned you to not only be a great copier, but to hesitate when copying is no longer an option.
— Jim McKelveyCo-Founder of Square & Mobile Payment Pioneer
Most people I would consider world-class, successful entrepreneurs never volunteered for the job. They were kicked out like the guy who offended the king and was kicked out of the city walls.
— Jim McKelveyCo-Founder of Square & Mobile Payment Pioneer
I also want to dispel the hero-myth of entrepreneurs, that they're somehow super-gifted individuals who are better than me or the people I know. I don't know any like that – my friends sleep late, smell funny, do stupid stuff and have weird joint problems. I don't know any superhumans.
— Jim McKelveyCo-Founder of Square & Mobile Payment Pioneer
Doing something that has never been done before is terrifying… all the people who love you will tell you not to do it… not because they're jealous, but because they're genuinely scared for you… they're worried for your wellbeing. If you venture outside that wall, you are really somebody who has traded security and certainty for freedom and risk.
— Jim McKelveyCo-Founder of Square & Mobile Payment Pioneer