Home / Authors / Lee Iacocca

Lee Iacocca

Lee Iacocca Quotes

Businessman

Lee Iacocca was a prominent American businessman recognized for his significant contributions to the automotive industry. Born on October 15, 1924, he is best known for his leadership at Chrysler Corporation in the 1970s and 1980s, where he implemented innovative strategies that led to the company's recovery from financial distress.

Filter quotes by topic

All Ifs People Business Motivational Economy Guy Inspirational Chrysler Decision Littles Thinking Trying Want Country Knows Made Money Use Waiting Way

Famous Lee Iacocca Quotes

“It pains me to see my old company, which has meant so much to America, on the ropes. But Chrysler has been in trouble before, and we got through it, and I believe they can do it again... Let's face it, if your car breaks down, you're not going to take it to the White House to get fixed. But, if your company breaks down, you've got to go to the experts on the ground, not the bureaucrats.”

Ifs Believe Has Beens Pain America Faces House I Believe Can Do White Company Break Trouble Car Fixed Experts White House Breaking Down Rope Bureaucrats Chrysler

Author:Lee Iacocca

“That's the American way. If little kids don't aspire to make money like I did, what the hell good is this country?”

Ifs Way Littles Country Kids Hell Making Money Aspire Little Kid

Author:Lee Iacocca

“If we wait until we've satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.”

Ifs May Waiting Late Satisfied Uncertainty Too Late Procrastination Screws Starting Over Stop Procrastination Starting All Over

Author:Lee Iacocca

“I don't need a $100 million mistake. Try to make a $5 million mistake if you have to make one.”

Ifs Needs Trying Money Mistake Millions

Author:Lee Iacocca

“Never rest on your oars as a boss. If you do, the whole company starts sinking.”

Ifs Whole Company Boss Sinking Oar

Author:Lee Iacocca

“I'm sometimes described as a flamboyant leader and a hip-shooter, a fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants operator. But if that were true, I could never have been successful in this business.”

Ifs Has Beens Sometimes Leader Successful Hips Seats Pants Operators Shooter Flamboyant

Author:Lee Iacocca

“If you set a good example you need not worry about setting rules.”

Ifs Needs Worry Example Setting Settings Good Examples

Author:Lee Iacocca

“If I Had To Sum Up In One Word The Qualities That Make Up A Good Manager, I'd Say Decisiveness.”

Ifs Quality Managers Good Man One Word Decisiveness Good Manager

Author:Lee Iacocca

“No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?”

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

Source: Iacocca: An Autobiography

“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 can't miss.”

People Ifs Leadership Missing Communication Lays Rewards Communicate Productivity Employee Good People Hospitality Funny Inspirational Great Employee

Author:Lee Iacocca

“So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we just don't sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we've satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.”

Ifs Trying May Long Action Waiting Acting Late Satisfied Uncertainty Moving On Too Late Procrastination Screws Starting Over Stop Procrastination Starting All Over

Author:Lee Iacocca

“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere.”

Source: Iacocca: An Autobiography

“If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's most important and then give it all you've got.”

Source: Iacocca: An Autobiography

“I have always found that if I move with seventy-five percent or more of the facts that I usually never regret it. It's the guys who wait to have everything perfect that drive you crazy.”

Ifs Facts Moving Guy Found Waiting Perfect Business Economy Five Crazy Regret Percent Personal Growth Seventies Never Regret I Never Regret

Author:Lee Iacocca

“If a guy is over 25 percent jerk, he's in trouble. And Henry was 95 percent.”

Ifs Guy Economy Trouble Percent Jerk

Author:Lee Iacocca

“If your product is great, you yourself do not have to be a great seller.”

Ifs Products Sellers

Author:Lee Iacocca

“I was raised to give back. I was born to immigrant parents and was fortunate to become successful at an early age. I've always felt a strong sense of national service to my country, and I may have been able to provide leadership in the political arena. I don't regret the decision not to enter politics, I just wonder sometimes if I could have changed anything.”

“You've got to say, "I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it." It's called perseverance.”

“The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business--or almost anywhere else for that matter.”

Ifs Want Wells Matter Use Motivational Motivation Time Ability Learning Succeed Achievement Time Management

Book:Iacocca: An Autobiography

Source: Iacocca: An Autobiography

“What is it that you like doing? If you don't like it, get out of it, because you'll be lousy at it. You don't have to stay with a job for the rest of your life, because if you don't like it you'll never be successful in it.”

Ifs Jobs Passion Work Decision Business Careers Successful Being Successful Boss Rest Of Your Life Career Success

Author:Lee Iacocca

“If I had to sum up in a word what makes a good manager, I'd say decisiveness. You can use the fanciest computers to gather the numbers, but in the end you have to set a timetable and act.”

Ifs Ends Use Action Numbers Business Education Computer Managers Good Man Initiative Procrastination Decisiveness Timetables Good Manager

Author:Lee Iacocca

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

People Ifs Thinking Wells Said Language Economy Loyalty

Author:Lee Iacocca

“If we screw it up, start over. Try something else.”

Ifs Trying Too Late Procrastination Screws Starting Over Try Again Stop Procrastination Screw You Starting Over Again

Author:Lee Iacocca

“If you own up to your mistakes, you don't suffer as much. But that's a tough lesson to learn.”

Ifs Suffering Mistake Lessons Tough

Author:Lee Iacocca

“The right decision is the wrong decision if it's made too late.”

Ifs Made Decision Late Too Late Right Decision Wrong Decision

Author:Lee Iacocca

“What is it that you like doing? If you don't like it, get out of it, because you'll be lousy at it.”

Ifs Careers Choices

Author:Lee Iacocca

“There's a billboard in a little farm town in the Midwest that says: IF YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT FARMERS, DON'T TALK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL.”

Ifs Littles Mouths Towns Complaining Farms Farmers Midwest Billboards

Author:Lee Iacocca

“Life can be difficult for kids born with a gold spoon in their mouth, because they never really get to find out if they're able to work hard and make it on their own.”

Ifs Hard Kids Able Difficult Born Effort Hard Work Mouths Gold Spoons

Author:Lee Iacocca

“If you make believe that ten guys in pin-striped suits are back in a kindergarten class playing with building blocks, you'll get a rough picture of what life in a corporation is like.”

Ifs Believe Guy Class Building Ten Block Suits Corporations Executives Rough Pins Make Believe Kindergarten Building Blocks

Author:Lee Iacocca

“In the old days, if a neighbors apples fell into your yard, you worked it out over the back fence or picked them up and made pies. Today, you sue.”

Ifs Made Today Neighbor Apples Pie Yards Fence Old Days

Author:Lee Iacocca

“Greenmail, in case you're wondering, is when a company pays a raider a premium for his holdings-if he'll go away. What I think it really is is blackmail in a pin-striped suit.”

Ifs Thinking Pay Company Wonder Cases Suits Going Away Pins Premium Blackmail Raiders

Author:Lee Iacocca

About the Author

Born: October 15, 1924
Known for: Businessman
Quotes: 130

Related Topics

Ifs People Business Motivational Economy Guy Inspirational Chrysler Decision Littles Thinking Trying Want Country Knows Made Money Use Waiting Way

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Iacocca: An AutobiographyRelated source material

I Gotta Tell You: Speeches of Lee IacoccaRelated source material

IACOCCARelated source material

Where Have All the Leaders Gone?Related source material

Similar Authors

Peter DruckerBrowse related quotes
Richard BransonBrowse related quotes
Zig ZiglarBrowse related quotes
Tony RobbinsBrowse related quotes
Brian TracyBrowse related quotes
Robert HellerBrowse related quotes
Seth GodinBrowse related quotes
Jim RohnBrowse related quotes
John C. MaxwellBrowse related quotes
Dennis F. KinlawBrowse related quotes