The world of entrepreneurship is filled with high hurdles, long nights, and hard-earned wins. Deciding to launch your own business is a huge risk, and it requires a lot of support, luck, and sheer grit to stick with it long enough to see it pay off.
Whether you’re considering heading into an independent career or are already running your own company, you know how important it is to seek out the wisdom of those with thriving ventures. We’ve gathered the most quotable advice from some of the world’s most successful businesspeople to guide you on your journey. Here are some of our favorite entrepreneur quotes.
Quotes on Being a Leader
No one makes it alone. Entrepreneurs need to effectively lead teams of different sizes and all kinds of people. As these quotes reinforce, leadership is a cornerstone of success.
1. “Each of us should seek such counsel, and seek to provide it to the best of our ability.” – Robert A. Burgelman on Andy Grove,
2. “Diversity, when leveraged to solve problems in new ways, is a magnificent thing.” – Tiffany Dufu,
3. “We don’t make money when we sell things. We make money when we help customers make purchase decisions.” – Jeff Bezos,
4. “True authority and true leadership come from knowing who you are and not pretending to be anything else.” – Robert Iger,
5. “One idea alone is a tactic, but if it can be executed a number of different ways, it becomes a great strategy.” – Marc Benioff,
6. “Instead of condemning people, let’s try to understand them. Let’s try to figure out why they do what they do. That’s a lot more profitable and intriguing than criticism; and it breeds sympathy, tolerance and kindness.” – Dale Carnegie,
7. “The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.” – Seth Godin,
Quotes for Motivation
Even the best of us feel stuck at times. These entrepreneurs have battled storms of burnout, unclear visions, and feelings of aimlessness—and offer their insights to help see you through.
8. “Life is a cruel teacher. She loves to give you the test first and the lesson later.” – Daymond John,
9. “If you are an entrepreneur and just starting out, you have a golden opportunity to think deeply about the influence you want to have on the world.” – Leila Janah,
10. “Developing the power within, to have the confidence to take charge in the most difficult and dangerous of situations, is the hallmark of a true professional.” – Subroto Bagchi,
11. “To be great is to be misunderstood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson,
12. “You are not your circumstances. You are your possibilities.” – Oprah Winfrey,
13. “You should never start a company with the goal of getting rich. Your goal should be making something you believe in and making a company that will last.” – Steve Jobs, from by Walter Isaacson
14. “It's time to put yourself out there, because you never know what amazing things will come your way.” – Joy Deangdeelert Cho,
15. “Accept the pain of the past. Learn the lessons of the past. Embrace the nostalgic memories of the past. Then dream big dreams of the future and start chasing them!” – Pat Williams,
16. “I deeply believe that everything happens for us, not to us, and if we can take all parts of our journey—the good and the bad—with the same hunger for knowledge and willingness to dissect what worked and what didn't, then all of it will be a blessing in the end.” – Miki Agrawal,
Quotes from Women Entrepreneurs
Women have made impressive strides in a variety of industries, including media, e-commerce, and STEM. These quotes reflect the distinctive hardships faced by female entrepreneurs and capture their remarkable resilience, creativity, wisdom, and strength.
17. “Don’t doubt yourself; doubt the people who doubt you.” – Jessica DiLullo Herrin,
18. “But in the midst of all that uncertainty and lack of clarity, there lies a wild beauty. A hope. Possibility. The promise of something bigger than us happening just beneath the surface that we can’t see.” – Mandy Hale,
19. “Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral. Pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.” – Shonda Rhimes,
20. “I would further argue that our businesses and economy don’t just need more women in the workplace and in leadership positions and starting businesses (though we do). We need more women acting more like women.” – Sallie Krawcheck,
21. “Life offers us this great gift of self-organization, how we can be held in the basin of shared meaning and, within that, exercise individual freedom.” – Margaret J. Wheatley,
22. “There are secret opportunities hidden inside every failure.” – Sophia Amoruso,
23. “Real change will come when powerful women are less of an exception. It is easy to dislike senior women because there are so few.” – Sheryl Sandberg,
24. “When we fully step into our power, there is no predicting the heights we can reach.” – Tiffany Pham,
25. “Remember that the world we can see is the one that really matters, and never lose sight of that.” – Anna Akana,
26. “The walls of your comfort zone are lovingly decorated with your lifelong collection of favorite excuses.” – Jen Sincero,
27. “Think of discomfort as currency—it's the price you pay to learn some pretty crucial things.” – Lilly Singh,
28. “Never make a big decision without sleeping on it.” – Martha Stewart,
29. “Life isn't about perfection. There is no rule book. Life has many different chapters, and every chapter deserves celebrating.” – Reese Witherspoon,
Quotes about Perseverance and Flexibility
It’s difficult when we’re working towards our goals but always seem to fall off track. Life as an entrepreneur presents many opportunities to learn how to be agile and readjust when things don’t go according to plan.
30. “We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.” – Arianna Huffington,
31. “Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki,
32. “Insight without action is worthless. Taking action is the only path to change.” – Marie Forleo,
33. “Once you figure out the question, then the answer is relatively easy.” – Elon Musk, from by Ashlee Vance
34. “You can't fear what you haven't figured out yet, and sometimes naïveté can be the best business strategy of all.” – Jaclyn Johnson,
35. “When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.” – Napoleon Hill,
36. “That combination of thought and action defines creative confidence: the ability to come up with new ideas and the courage to try them out.” – Tom Kelley,
37. “If you pursue the right goal in the wrong way, you still end up in the wrong place.” – Jon Acuff,
