What’s the key to success? Is it hard work, motivation, tenacity or perhaps a good idea? Taking the sage advice of those who have already achieved success can be one of the best ways to accomplish it yourself.
If you’re looking for motivation to help you achieve greatness, use these motivational success quotes below to inspire your new daily affirmations.
Success Quotes to Inspire You Towards the Next Level
You must be very patient, very persistent. The world isn’t going to shower gold coins on you just because you have a good idea. You’re going to have to work like crazy to bring that idea to the attention of people. ~ Herb Kelleher, Southwest Airlines
If we win the hearts and minds of employees, we’re going to have better business success. ~ Mary Barra, General Motors
The most important thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging. ~ Warren Buffett, American Business Magnate
Just because you are a CEO, don’t think you have landed. You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, and the way you approach the organization. I’ve never forgotten that. ~ Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo
Find something that you love to do, and find a place that you really like to do it in. I found something I loved to do. I’m a mechanical engineer by training, and I loved it. I still do. My son is a nuclear engineer at MIT, a junior, and I get the same vibe from him. Your work has to be compelling. You spend a lot of time doing it. ~ Ursula Burns, Xerox
Success can be attained in any branch of human labor. There is always room at the top in every pursuit. ~ Andrew Carnegie, Industrialist
Growth and comfort do not coexist. ~ Ginni Rometty, IBM
I knew that if I failed, I wouldn’t regret that. But I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying. ~ Jeff Bezos, Amazon
We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes — understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success. ~ Arianna Huffington, The Huffington Post
Leadership Success Quotes to Draw Inspiration
Success depends on effective leadership. The success quotes below offer inspiration from great established leaders.
I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance. ~ Steve Jobs, Apple
Do what you love and success will follow. Passion is the fuel behind a successful career. ~ Meg Whitman, Quibi
The secret of success is to do the common thing uncommonly well.” ~ John D. Rockefeller Jr., American Financier
It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.” ~ Warren Buffett, American Business Magnate
Before you are a leader, success is about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is about growing others. ~ Jack Welch, General Electric
Whenever I meet a successful CEO, I ask them how they did it. Mediocre CEOs point to their brilliant strategic moves or their intuitive business sense or a variety of other self-congratulatory explanations. The great CEOs tend to be remarkably consistent in their answers: They all say, ‘I didn’t quit.’ ~ Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz
Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success. ~ Biz Stone, Twitter
Stay hungry, stay foolish. ~ Steve Jobs, Apple
Impossible is only an opinion. ~ Anik Singal, Lurn Inc.
Even during a mid-life crisis do not deviate from your goal. History remembers only those who succeed. ~ Hockson Floin
I admire people who are very successful. But if that success has been achieved through too much ruthlessness, then I may admire that person, but I can’t respect him. ~ Ratan Tata, Tata Sons
Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. ~ Warren Buffett, American Business Magnate
Motivational Quotes to Keep You Moving Forward
When it comes to achieving success, you can’t have too much help. These success quotes by those that have been there can provide the motivation needed to help you achieve your next goal.
I never dreamed about success. I worked for it. ~ Estée Lauder, Estée Lauder Cosmetics
I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite. ~ G.K. Chesterton, English Writer
If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time. ~ Steve Jobs, Apple
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure. ~ Colin Powell, U.S. Army Four Star General (Retired)
Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable. ~ Coco Chanel, Chanel
There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them. ~ Seth Godin, American Author
I don’t know the word ‘quit.’ Either I never did, or I have abolished it. ~ Susan Butcher, Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Winner
Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. ~ Will Rodgers, American Actor
The only way around is through. ~ Robert Frost, American Poet
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. ~ Albert Schweitzer, Theologian
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. ~ Walt Disney
Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right! – Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company
I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity. ~ Oprah Winfrey, Philanthropist
Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. ~ Winston Churchill, British Politician
Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it. ~ William Durant, American Auto Industry Pioneer
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. ~ Thomas Edison, American Inventor
Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming. ~ Richard Branson, Virgin Group
Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. ~ Henry David Thoreau, American Poet
None of us is as smart as all of us. ~ Ken Blanchard, The Ken Blanchard Companies
Success Quotes to Help You Keep it all Together
True leadership lies in guiding others to success–in ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well. ~ Bill Owens, American Photographer
Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. ~ Peter Drucker, Author
Every time you have to speak, you are auditioning for leadership. ~ James Humes, Author
One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. ~ Arnold Glasow, US Businessman
The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders and continually develops them. ~ John Maxwell, Author
Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult. ~ Warren Bennis, Author
The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. ~ Ralph Nader, Political Activist
Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. ~ Jack Welch, General Electric
Success Quotes from Lessons Learned
On your journey towards greatness, there will be some stumbling blocks and failures along the way. These success quotes include insights to help you over those hurdles.
Its’ fine to celebrate success, but it’s more important to heed the lessons of failure. ~ Bill Gates, Microsoft
When you find an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue. ~ Josh James, Omniture
Success depends on employees. For me knowing and connecting with my employees is very important. ~ Divine Ndhlukula, DDNS Security Operations Ltd
Make something people want, including making a company that people want to work for. ~ Sahil Lavingia, Gumroad
Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that. ~ Anthony Volodkin, Hype Machine
Always look for the fool in the deal. If you don’t find one, it’s you. ~ Mark Cuban, American Entrepreneur
If you hire only those people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are. Always remember that you often find outstanding people among those you don’t particularly like. ~ Soichiro Honda, Honda
If you define yourself by how you differ from the competition, you’re probably in trouble. ~ Omar Hamoui, AdMob
If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out. ~ Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook
If you hire only those people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are. Always remember that you often find outstanding people among those you don’t particularly like. ~ Soichiro Honda, Honda
Every time we launch a feature, people yell at us. ~ Angelo Sotira, deviantART
Be courageous – Look for opportunities to put your hand up and have a go. Back yourself. ~ Gail Kelly, Westpac
Don’t take too much advice. Most people who have a lot of advice to give — with a few exceptions — generalize whatever they did. Don’t over-analyze everything. I myself have been guilty of over-thinking problems. Just build things and find out if they work. ~ Ben Silbermann, Pinterest
Chase the vision, not the money, the money will end up following you. ~ Tony Hsieh, Zappos
Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. ~ Bill Gates, Microsoft
Make every detail perfect and limit the number of details to perfect.” ~ Jack Dorsey, Twitter
There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions – in a way that serves the world and you. ~ Richard Branson, Virgin Group
Get five or six of your smartest friends in a room and ask them to rate your idea. ~ Mark Pincus, Zynga
Your employees come first. And if you treat your employees right, guess what? Your customers come back, and that makes your shareholders happy. Start with employees and the rest follows from that. ~ Herb Kelleher, Southwest Airlines
If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late. ~ Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. ~ Steve Jobs, Apple
Always deliver more than expected. ~ Larry Page, Google
What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed. ~ Dave Thomas, Wendy’s
Always think outside the box and embrace opportunities that appear, wherever they might be. ~ Lakshmi Mittal, ArcelorMittal
Get big quietly, so you don’t tip off potential competitors. ~ Chris Dixon, Andreessen Horowitz
Inspirational Quotes from those that Have Been There
Reading the right words can go a long way in lifting your spirits. If you fancy your chances in the ever changing world of entrepreneurship, these success quotes can inspire you to great new heights.
Entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a want to create. ~ David Karp, Tumblr
In the end, a vision without the ability to execute it is probably a hallucination. ~ Steve Case, AOL
Empower yourself and realize the importance of contributing to the world by living your talent. Work on what you love. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you. ~ Catharina Bruns, WorkIsNotaJob
It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. ~ Scott Belsky, Behance
I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars — I look for 1-foot bars that I can step over. ~ Warren Buffett, American Business Magnate
The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it. ~ Debbi Fields, Mrs. Fields Cookies
Don’t let others convince you that the idea is good when your gut tells you it’s bad. ~ Kevin Rose, Digg
Everything started as nothing. ~ Ben Weissenstein, The Entitled Group
Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical. ~ Howard Schultz, Starbucks
Don’t be afraid to assert yourself, have confidence in your abilities and don’t let the bastards get you down. ~ Michael Bloomberg, Bloomberg L.P.
Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve. ~ Mary Kay Ash, Mary Kay Cosmetics
You have to see failure as the beginning and the middle, but never entertain it as an end. ~ Jessica Herrin, Stella & Dot
The only thing worse than starting something and failing… is not starting something. ~ Seth Godin, Squidoo
When you are building a startup, it’s difficult. Particularly, a startup that is expanding at the rate of Tinder. You have to give 100%, and you have to be committed. Solving the problem has to be personal or else you’re going to disintegrate. ~ Sean Rad, Tinder, Inc.
If we tried to think of a good idea, we wouldn’t have been able to think of a good idea. You just have to find the solution for a problem in your own life. ~ Brian Chesky, Airbnb
I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody. ~ Herbert Swope, American Journalist
Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish. ~ Sam Walton, Walmart
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. ~ John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States
Great leaders are willing to sacrifice the numbers to save the people. Poor leaders sacrifice the people to save the numbers. ~ Simon Sinek, Author
Management is focusing on getting someone to get a result. Leadership is producing a standard in someone that when you’re gone, they will live by to produce higher level results consistently. ~ Tony Robbins, Life Coach
Leadership does not always wear the harness of compromise. ~ Woodrow Wilson, American Politician
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. ~ Warren Bennis, American Scholar
Don’t find fault, find a remedy. ~ Henry Ford, Ford Motor Company
Leadership is knowing when to lean on others and let them step up and shine. ~ Michelle Peluso, Gilt
If you enjoyed these success quotes, you can find more motivational quotes for business in our image gallery:
Images: Crello