Quotes by Lee Iacocca

“All kinds of beauty do not inspire love; there is a kind that only pleases the sight but does not captivate the affections.”

“The most successful businessman is the man who holds onto the old just as long as it is good, and grabs the new just as soon as it is better.”

“A business like an automobile, has to be driven, in order to get results”

“In business the man who engages in the most adventures is surest to come out unhurt”

“In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product, and profits.”

“The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be only sustainable competitive advantage.”

“You sell a company twice. First of all, you sell them the product, then you sell them the service.”

“I hire people brighter than me and then I get out of their way”

“If you want to make good use of your time, youve got to know whats most important and then give it all youve got.”

“So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we just dont sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until weve satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.”

“When the product is right, you dont have to be a great marketer.”

“Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Dont just stand there, make it happen.”

“Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate with your employees, motivate them and reward them. If you do all those things effectively, you cant miss.”

“Talk to people in their own language. If you do it well, theyll say, God, he said exactly what I was thinking. And when they begin to respect you, theyll follow you to the death.”

“The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything”

“People say to me, You were a roaring success. How did you do it? I go back to what my parents taught me. Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Dont just stand there, make something happen.”

Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then...do something. Dont just stand there, make it happen.

I’ve always felt that a manager has achieved a great deal when he’s able to motivate one other person. When it comes to making the place run, motivation is everything. You might be able to do the work of two people, but you can’t be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people.

My father always used to say that when you die, if youve got five real friends, then youve had a great life.

In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.