the free market
“…the reason free markets work is because they allow people to be lucky, thanks to aggressive trial and error, not be giving rewards or “incentives” for skill.” - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
process
“People without leaders are lost, but leaders without process are doomed.” - Frank Pacetta
investing in your business
“There are no such things as expenses in business, only investments.” - Jack Daly
culture
“You have to start with culture, values, and a commitment to creating a fantastic workplace. You can’t fake these things. They have to come from the top. They are not bullshit. They are everything.” - Fred Wilson
culture
“The customer is not number one. Our employees are. Because if we get it right with our employees, they get it right with you, the customer.” - Former Southwest Airlines billboard campaign
quality of life
“Quality of life is about the little things—doing them well, doing them right.” - Don Winslow (The Winter of Frankie Machine)
desire more out of life
“Don’t be scared of your hunger. If you’re scared of your hunger, you’ll just be one more ninny like everyone else.” - Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge)
truth
“…no truth is ever seen the same way by any two persons.” — Leo Tolstoy
success
“To multiply small successes is precisely to build one treasure after another. In time one becomes rich without realizing how it has come about.” - Frederick the Great
reality
“It is what people think they see in another person that makes his reality.” — Don Delillo (Cosmopolis)
leadership
“A leader should do anything, but not everything.” - Plutarch
ending
“The only real ending is death. Everything else is a transition.” - Robert Greene
goals
“To go too far is as bad as to fall short.” - Confucius
behavior
“In anything, it is a mistake to think one can perform an action or behave in a certain way once and no more.” - Cesare Pavese
greed
“The desire to get something for nothing has been very costly to many people who have dealt with me and with other con men… When people learn—as I doubt they will—that they can’t get something for nothing, crime will diminish and we shall all live in greater harmony.” - Joseph Weil
speed
“You must be slow in deliberation and swift in execution.” - Napoleon Bonaparte
blame
“…you yourself are largely the agent of anything bad that happens to you. With more prudence, wiser policies, and greater vision, you could have avoided the danger. So when something goes wrong, look deep into yourself-not in an emotional way, to blame yourself or indulge your feelings of guilt, but to make sure that you start your next campaign with a firmer step and greater vision.” - Robert Greene