Home / Authors / Tom Peters

Tom Peters

Tom Peters Quotes

Writer

Tom Peters, born on November 7, 1942, is a renowned writer known for his works in the fields of business management and personal development. His unique perspective and in-depth analysis have made a significant impact on global business practices.

Filter quotes by topic

All Ifs People Business Company Leader Way Book Customers World Digital

Famous Tom Peters Quotes

“Give a lot, expect a lot, and if you don't get it, prune.”

Ifs Giving Prunes

Author:Tom Peters

“Vision is dandy, but sustainable company excellence comes from a huge stable of able managers.”

Able Company Vision Huge Excellence Managers Stable Dandy

Author:Tom Peters

“The whole secret to our success is being able to con ourselves into believing that we're going to change the world because statistically we are unlikely to do it.”

World Believe Whole Able Secret Changing The World Unlikely

Author:Tom Peters

“As a consumer, you want to associate with brands whose powerful presence creates a halo effect that rubs off on you.”

Want Powerful Effects Brands Consumers Associates Halos

Author:Tom Peters

“Communication is everyone's panacea for everything.”

Communication Panacea Good Communication

Author:Tom Peters

“Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills.”

Chance Skills Management

Author:Tom Peters

“Good managers have a bias for action.”

Action Prejudice Management Managers Bias Biased Good Manager

Author:Tom Peters

“Community organizing is all about building grassroots support. It's about identifying the people around you with whom you can create a common, passionate cause. And it's about ignoring the conventional wisdom of company politics and instead playing the game by very different rules.”

People Different Games Causes Community Common Company Support Building Passionate Conventional Identifying Conventional Wisdom Grassroots Community Organizing Ignoring Facts

Author:Tom Peters

“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”

Needs Important Happens Age Today Jobs Company Position Importance Brands Branding Ceo Personal Branding Marketers Important Jobs

Author:Tom Peters

“All white-collar work is project work. The single salient fact that touches all of our lives is that work is being reinvented.”

Facts Life Is White Our Lives Projects Collars White Collar

Author:Tom Peters

“I think it's wonderful to save the world, but you need to be part of the world, too.”

Thinking World Needs Wonderful Save The World

Author:Tom Peters

“If your company has a clean-desk policy, the company is nuts and you're nuts to stay there.”

Ifs Company Policy Office Clean Nuts Desks Clean Desk

Author:Tom Peters

“Mastery is great, but even that is not enough. You have to be able to change course without a bead of sweat, or remorse.”

Enough Able Courses Sweat Mastery Remorse Beads

Author:Tom Peters

“The best leaders... almost without exception and at every level, are master users of stories and symbols.”

Stories Levels Leader Masters Symbols Exception Users Best Leader

Author:Tom Peters

“We found that the most exciting environments, that treated people very well, are also tough as nails. There is no bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo... excellent companies provide two things simultaneously: tough environments and very supportive environments.”

People Wells Two Found Company Environment Tough Exciting Environmental Treated Excellent Two Things Nails Supportive Rebellious

Author:Tom Peters

“All business success rests on something labeled a sale, which at least momentarily weds company and customer.”

Inspirational Leadership Company Customers Business Success Congratulations

Author:Tom Peters

“As far as I'm concerned, the first business leader who was able to establish a cult of personality around his tenure was Lee Iacocca.”

Firsts Able Leader Personality Concerned Cult Business Leaders Tenure Cult Of Personality

Author:Tom Peters

“Design is so critical it should be on the agenda of every meeting in every single department.”

Should Design Meetings Critical Department Agendas

Author:Tom Peters

“I don't read many business books. I read good fiction. Business is about people, so my favorite business books are anything by Dickens.”

People Book Fiction My Favorite Dickens

Author:Tom Peters

“I don't want the 35-year-olds in my audience to think of me as as 'pops' giving the kind of advice that only 65-year-olds can understand.”

Thinking Want Giving Years Kind Audience Advice Pops Think Of Me

Author:Tom Peters

“One simply cannot pay tribute to Stephen Covey without saying at the outset that he was a lovely human being.”

Humans Human Beings Pay Lovely Tribute

Author:Tom Peters

“South Africa has all the tools to compete in the new global village - an eager workforce, ready to take on any challenge.”

Challenges Ready Tools Competition South Village South Africa Workforce Global Village

Author:Tom Peters

“The top athletes are consummate pros who work obsessively at their craft. Approach yours the same way.”

Way Approach Athlete Crafts

Author:Tom Peters

“Stop being conned by the old mantra that says, 'Leaders are cool, managers are dweebs.' Instead, follow the Peters Principle: Leaders are cool. Managers are cool too!”

Leader Principles Managers Peter Mantras Conning

Author:Tom Peters

“The workplace revolution that transformed the lives of blue-collar workers in the 1970s and 1980s is finally reaching the offices and cubicles of the white-collar workers.”

White Revolution Office Blue Workers Reaching Transformed Workplace Collars Blue Collar White Collar Cubicles Blue Collar Workers

Author:Tom Peters

“Business book writing for me is when some set of ideas gets stuck in my mind, I write a book about it. I haven't got a theory and I haven't got a framework.”

Writing Mind Book Ideas Havens Theory Stuck Framework Book Writing

Author:Tom Peters

“For the blue-collar worker, the driving force behind change was factory automation using programmable machine tools. For the office worker, it's office automation using computer technology: enterprise-resource-planning systems, groupware, intranets, extranets, expert systems, the Web, and e-commerce.”

“I endorse a lot of people - sometimes people say I endorse too many books. And my response has always been the same: If I can get one case study that can give me one good idea that I can implement for $25, or for these days one-third of that on Kindle, I've gotten a very good deal.”

People Ifs Giving I Can Book Ideas Sometimes Deals Cases Study Thirds Give Me Response Very Good These Days Good Ideas Kindles Case Studies

Author:Tom Peters

“I think economics is about passion. Economic progress, whether it is a two-person coffee shop or whether it is Netscape, is about people with brave ideas. Because it is brave to mortgage the house, when you've got two kids, to start a coffee shop.”

People Thinking Persons Two Ideas Kids Passion House Progress Economic Economics Brave Coffee Shops Mortgage Coffee Shop Economic Progress

Author:Tom Peters

“'In Search of Excellence' - even the title - is a reminder that business isn't dry, dreary, boring, or by the numbers. Life at work can be cool - and work that's cool isn't confined to Tiger Woods, Yo-Yo Ma, or Tom Hanks. It's available to all of us and any of us.”

Numbers Excellence Available Boring Woods Titles Dry Toms Tigers Reminders Confined Being Cool Dreary

Author:Tom Peters

“Today brands are everything, and all kinds of products and services - from accounting firms to sneaker makers to restaurants - are figuring out how to transcend the narrow boundaries of their categories and become a brand surrounded by a Tommy Hilfiger-like buzz.”

Kind Today Products Boundaries All Kinds Brands Firm Restaurants Makers Categories Accounting Buzz Sneakers

Author:Tom Peters

“Leaders trust their guts. "Intuition" is one of those good words that has gotten a bad rap. For some reason, intuition has become a "soft" notion. Garbage! Intuition is the new physics. It's an Einsteinian, seven-sense, practical way to make tough decisions. Bottom line, circa 2001 to 2010: The crazier the times are, the more important it is for leaders to develop and to trust their intuition.”

Way Important Reason Lines Decision Leader Tough Seven Notion Bottom Intuition Rap Physics Practicals Guts Garbage Bottom Line Good Words Tough Decisions

Author:Tom Peters

“If I read a book that cost me $20 and I get one good idea, I've gotten one of the greatest bargains of all time.”

Ifs Book Ideas Cost All Time Good Ideas Bargains

Author:Tom Peters

“There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity”

Integrity Minors Lapses No Integrity

Author:Tom Peters

“Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else.”

Ifs Life Inspirational Bigs Beautiful Life Is Stuff Simple Inspiring Business Failing Tricks Copies

Author:Tom Peters

“Power lies in the details, and the tenacious pursuit of such hidden levers can pay off enormously. While you don't want to get a reputation as a prissy worrywart, worrying about the details in private is important. You may think you are the world's greatest speaker, but if the auditorium's sound system is singing static - well, forget it.”

Ifs Thinking World Want Inspirational Wells May Important Lying Sound Forget Pay Worry Singing Details Pursuit Reputation Speakers Forget It Static Tenacious Levers Auditoriums Sound Systems

Author:Tom Peters

“Formula for success: Underpromise and overachieve.”

Business Formulas Formula For Success Inspirational Business

Author:Tom Peters

“To meet the demands of the fast-changing competitive scene, we must simply learn to love change as much as we have hated it in the past.”

Past Change Scene Demand Hated

Author:Tom Peters

“Winners must learn to relish change with the same enthusiasm and energy that we have resisted it in the past.”

Past Energy Change Learning Management Enthusiasm Winner Relish

Author:Tom Peters

“Effective visions are lived in details, not broad strokes.”

Vision Details Broads Strokes

Author:Tom Peters

“Stellar teams are invariably made up of quirky individuals who typically rub each other raw, but they figure out - with the spiritual help of a gifted leader - how to be their peculiar selves and how to win championships as a team...at the same time.”

Made Self Helping Motivational Spiritual Winning Individual Leader Team Figures Teamwork Peculiar Championship Gifted Quirky Stellar

Author:Tom Peters

“Hire for attitude. Train for skill... More”

Attitude Skills Train

Book:The Circle of Innovation: You Can't Shrink Your Way to Greatness

Source: The Circle of Innovation: You Can't Shrink Your Way to Greatness

“Formula for success: under promise and over deliver.”

Inspirational Success Promise Educational Customers Formulas Formula For Success

Author:Tom Peters

“Customers perceive service in their own unique, idiosyncratic, emotional, irrational, end-of-the-day, and totally human terms. Perception is all there is!”

Humans Ends Funny Term Leadership Emotional Perception Unique Educational Customers Perceive The End Of The Day Irrational

Author:Tom Peters

“Develop a respect and reverence for the principle of variation: the idea that the message ain't in the mean, the mode or the median - it's in the differences that occur throughout a population.”

Mean Ideas Differences Principles Messages Population Educational Reverence Variation Median

Author:Tom Peters

“It's relatively simple. If we're not getting more, better, faster than they are getting more, better, faster, then we're getting less, no better or more worse.”

Ifs Simple Educational Faster

Author:Tom Peters

“Swipe from the best, then adapt.”

Innovation Innovative Business Innovation Innovation And Business

Author:Tom Peters

“Are you placing enough interesting, freakish, long shot, weirdo bets?”

Long Enough Interesting Risk Shots Taking Risks Risk-taking Weirdo Long Shots

Author:Tom Peters

“The number one premise of business is that it need not be boring or dull. It ought to be fun. If it's not fun, you're wasting your life.”

Ifs Needs Play Humor Fun Numbers Business Creativity Ought Boring Dull Premises

Author:Tom Peters

“The new idea either finds a champion or it dies. No ordinary involvement with a new idea provides the energy required to cope with the indifference and resistance that change provokes.”

Ideas Dies Energy Ordinary Resistance Indifference Champion New Ideas Provoking Involvement Power Of Ideas

Book:A passion for excellence

Source: A passion for excellence

About the Author

Born: November 7, 1942
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 303

Related Topics

Ifs People Business Company Leader Way Book Customers World Digital

Popular Topics

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

Books & Sources

The Pursuit of Wow!: Every Person's Guide to Topsy-Turvy TimesRelated source material

The Project50 (Reinventing Work): Fifty Ways to Transform EveryRelated source material

The Circle of Innovation: You Can't Shrink Your Way to GreatnessRelated source material

A passion for excellenceRelated source material

Excellence Now: ActionRelated source material

Excellence Now: PurposeRelated source material

The Tom Peters Seminar: Crazy Times Call for Crazy OrganizationsRelated source material

Similar Authors

Richard BransonBrowse related quotes
Andrew S. C. EhrenbergBrowse related quotes
Jack WelchBrowse related quotes
Jeff BezosBrowse related quotes
Peter DruckerBrowse related quotes
Simon SinekBrowse related quotes
John C. MaxwellBrowse related quotes
Seth GodinBrowse related quotes
Bill GatesBrowse related quotes
Tom FarmerBrowse related quotes