- Never sing in chorus, if you want to be heard.Jules Archibald (1856-1919) Australian journalist. Attrib.
- Depend on none but yourself.Charles V (1500-58) Spanish Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. Advice left in his papers for his son. King Philip II of Spain. Maxim (1558?)
- Another lesson we’ve learned is that you can’t follow the other guys. If you take the approach of saying, “Competitor X has a good business, let’s be just like them,” that’s not going to create a lot of value…It doesn’t mean that we won’t borrow good ideas from other companies when we see them, but we’re not held to convention and we’re not striving to be like other companies…We are building our own path.Michael Dell (b.1965) U.S. chairman and C.E.O. of Dell Computer Corporation. Speech to the Society of American Business Editors and Writers Technology Conference, Dallas. “Maximum Speed: Lessons Learned from Managing Hypergrowth” (September 10, 1998)
- For an infant industry, protection is a legitimate demand, but infants must grow up one day.Indira Gandhi (1917-84) Indian prime minister. Speech (April 10, 1971)Be an individualist-and an individual. You’ll be amazed at how much faster you’ll get ahead.
- Paul Getty (1892-1976) U.S. entrepreneur oil industry executive, and financier. How to Be Rich (1965)
- It’s better to be a pirate than join the Navy.Steve Jobs (b.1955) U.S. entrepreneur, cofounder and C.E.O. of Apple Computer Company, and C.E.O. of Pixar. 1983. Quoted in West of Eden (Frank Rose; 1989)
- Companies gain the advantage of a network at a price; they become dependent on outsiders whose behavior can affect them but who they do not control.Rosabeth Moss Kanter (b.1943) U.S. Management theorist, academic, and writer. “How E-Smart Are You?,” World Link (January-February 2000)
- Private enterprise is the power…state control is the machine.Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) Canadian humorist, essayist, economist, and historian. While There Is Time (1945)
- We sometimes take for granted the freedom and power of independent thought and action. And only after it’s been compromised, do we fully realize how fundamental it is to the pursuit of economic opportunity.
Arthur Levitt, JR. (b.1931) U.S. author and former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Speech to the New York University Center for Law and Business, New York City. “Renewing the covenant with Investors” (May 10, 2000)
- I would not join any club that would have me as a member.
Groucho Marx (1895-1977) U.S. comedian and actor. Quoted in Liberation Management (Tom Peters; 1992)
- I want to prevent as many men as possible from pretending that they have to do this or that because they must earn a living. It is not true.Henry Miller (1891-1980) U.S. writer. The book was based on Miller’s five years’ experience working for Western Union; he walked out of the job in 1925 declaring “My own master now.” Tropic of Capricorn (1939)
- We cannot work for others without working for ourselves.Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) French philosopher and writer. The Social Contract (1762)
- You know what happens when you are the servant of a corporation?…Your individuality is swallowed up in the individuality and purpose of the great organization.Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) U.S. president. The New Freedom (1913)
- One of the things that my parents have taught me is never listen to other people’s expectations. You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations, and those are the only things I really care about.Tiger Woods (b.1975) U.S. golfer. Interview, www.golf.com (1999)
