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Business Quotes

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Business Quotes

“If the spirit of business adventure is dulled, this country will cease to hold the foremost position in the world.”

Ifs World Country Spirit Business Position Adventure Cease

Author:Andrew Mellon

“At the risk of repetition let me say again that my plea is not for immunity to, but for the most unsparing exposure of, the politician who betrays his trust, of the big business man who makes or spends his fortune in illegitimate or corrupt ways. There should be a resolute effort to hunt every such man out of the position he has disgraced. Expose the crime, and hunt down the criminal; but remember that even in the case of crime, if it is attacked in sensational, lurid, and untruthful fashion, the attack may do more damage to the public mind than the crime itself.”

“if you wish to train yourself for higher executive positions, the first thing for you to decide is what you are training for. Ability to dominate or manipulate others? That ought to be easy enough, since most of the magazines advertise sure ways of developing something they call 'personality.' But I am convinced that the first essential of business success is the capacity for organized thinking.”

Source: Dynamic administration: the collected papers of Mary Parker Follett

“The position of children as a group, in a commercial society, is not wholly advantageous. A commercial society urges its citizens to be responsible for things, but not for people. It is the unquestioned assumption of a mercantile culture that things need and deserve attention, but that people can take care of themselves.”

People Needs Children Care Culture Business Attention Groups Position Citizens Deserve Responsible Take Care Assumption Urges Being Responsible

Book:The Folks at Home

Source: The Folks at Home

“When you're 'recruiting' people in temporary positions for the firm (short-term contracts, free-lancers, etc.) treat them well: remember, they're the only ones who actually do any work.”

People Wells Remember Term Work Business Position Treats Firm Etc Temporary Contracts Short Term

Book:Bonjour Laziness: Why Hard Work Doesn't Pay

Source: Bonjour Laziness: Why Hard Work Doesn't Pay

“In the biggest companies, seek out the most useless positions: those in consultancy, appraisal, research, and study. The more useless your position, the less possible it will be to assess your 'contribution to the firm's assets.”

Work Business Company Study Position Research Useless Firm Contribution Assets Appraisal

Book:Bonjour Laziness: Why Hard Work Doesn't Pay

Source: Bonjour Laziness: Why Hard Work Doesn't Pay

“Executives run organizations. In business, we need executives who have clarity, people who are in touch with themselves. Then, in leadership and management positions, they can be good role models and leaders. The people I know who have really moved their organizations are scrupulous role models. They are so clear about honesty, integrity, openness, mutual self-respect, dignity for the individual, and creativity, that they don't deviate from these principles at all in their behavior.”

“If there's a big problem and you've got the right people with you, usually the answer emerges and you do what's the obvious thing to do. I don't think of myself as some great manager or great leader. I've been very lucky to be in the positions that I've been in. I meet a lot of people and I've grown a lot of companies, and I meet a lot of CEOs at big enterprises. I'm always so surprised at how much they seem to know. It doesn't always seem to be correlated to how well they actually do.”

“Don't let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego doesn't go with it.”

Ifs Political Politics Business Emotion Military Position Ego Shots Strategic Management

Author:Colin Powell

“I also believe that government has no business telling us how we should live our lives. I think our lifestyle choices should be left up to us. What we do in our private lives is none of the government's business. That position rules out the Republican Party for me.”

Thinking Should Believe Government Life Is Choices Left Party Business Our Lives Position Republican Lifestyle Republican Party Private Life Lifestyle Choices

Book:I Ain't Got Time to Bleed: Reworking the Body Politic from the Bottom Up

Source: I Ain't Got Time to Bleed: Reworking the Body Politic from the Bottom Up

“I won't close down a business of subnormal profitability merely to add a fraction of a point to our corporate returns. I also feel it inappropriate for even an exceptionally profitable company to fund an operation once it appears to have unending losses in prospect. Adam Smith would disagree with my first proposition and Karl Marx would disagree with my second; the middle ground is the only position that leaves me comfortable.”