Success Quotes – The Essentials

Enjoy quotes from America’s business leaders and success stories:

When our founding fathers fought to create this great country they fought for the big ideas of “freedom” and man’s “God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Because of the dreamers, the eccentrics and the crazy people with enough UNYIELDING FAITH TO SUSTAIN THEM AND THEIR “BIG IDEAS” listed below our world has improved dramatically.

Will You Change the World?

This compilation has a been created to stir your passions, your beliefs and your faith in your God-given abilities and talents. You were put on this Earth to change it for the better. Your life does have meaning and a purpose. Just like the greats that have come before you, you have the power to change your reality, and this world.

Please enjoy our extensive collection of At Make Your Life Epic we believe “thoughts are things” and that a “powerful thought inspired for good and acted upon with courage and unyielding” has the power the change the entire course of human history.

Thoughts That Changed the Course of American History:

  • When Columbus first had the thought of “loading up in a boat and heading west to discover new lands” the world changed. All political correctness aside, Columbus’ dream was “crazy” by most standards. His belief in something that had never been seen before was inspired by a FAITH of the deepest kind.
  • When the original Pilgrims first had the crazy idea of “hopping inside 3 boats and heading west to discover a new life” the world changed. These Pilgrims believed so much in their BIG IDEAS that they were willing to risk their financial futures, their friendships back home and their entire lives just to see if a better life existed somewhere else.
  • When Sam Adams first had the idea of “standing up to the British taxation and regulation” the world changed. As the “Red Coats” began trying to convince Sam Adams to end his rebellion and to turn over his friends and fellow rebels for bribes, he only became more defiant. Quickly the colonies began coming together and the war for total freedom began quickly there after.
  • When our Founding Fathers first had the idea of “signing the Declaration of Independence” the world changed and soon would famously “either hang together or hang separately.” These “rebels” of their time were more interested in their BIG IDEAS than satisfying the status quo. They believed so strongly in these “rights given by God” that they were willing to die for them. Soon the world would experience like never before.
  • When George Washington first had the idea to “begin fighting the Red Coats using a new strategy” the world changed. Soon his men began hiding behind trees and sniping the leaders of the British Army. Soon they began killing the Indian guides that were leading the soldiers. Immediately his men quit fighting in the “proper rows” that lead so many good men to their early deaths. Soon the Rebel Army began to win!
  • When President Abraham Lincoln first had the idea to “sign his name to the Emancipation Proclamation” the world changed and his very life would soon be in danger. His idea to liberate blacks from slavery was not popular. Historians can disagree as to why he signed it and for what reasons he signed it but signed it. When President Lincoln decided to press on despite the doubters to win the Civil War, he changed the course of human history.
  • When Harriet Tubman first had the idea to “go back into the South to save fellow slaves by creating a system known as the Underground Railroad” the world changed. Blacks became more and more hopeful that they too could escape the evil slave owners. The hopes of so many were lifted by the actions of so few.
  • When Thomas Edison had the “wild idea” that he could harness the light inside a glass bulb, the world laughed. 10,000 experiments later, victory was his. And in a transforming way that the world had not seen since God originally spoke, “Let there be light” the world changed as the lights came on across the planet. Because of Thomas Edison’s eccentric behavior and his relentless focus, video became a reality, recorded sound was heard for the first time and countless revolutionary inventions were created.
  • When Andrew Carnegie had the idea “that his family deserved more” and joined the workforce before the age of 13, the world would forever change. Soon this day laborer and boy wonder would become the most trusted of his boss’s men. Soon he would become the courier for his boss, a job that supreme importance during a time where mail was unreliable and phones did not exist. Within a few short years, he would have the idea “to buy a railroad car” by leveraging the trust and relationships he had built with great men over the years. Soon he would become the world’s wealthiest man.
  • When Andrew Carnegie had the big idea to “fully invest his faith and money in the Bessemer Process of making steel” he risked his wealth and his future on this single idea. Soon his idea would prove to be right and cheap steel would become available to the masses, thus igniting a time of American growth and expansion that would place America among the world’s most powerful countries.
  • When Winston Churchill had the idea “to defy Hitler at all costs” the world changed. Soon the last free country in Europe would be in an all out fight with the powerful regime. Without having yet secured American support, Churchill stood up to Hitler with an unshakable courage that would finally put an end to the atrocities of the evil Nazi regime. Churchill did not have American support, he did not have a backup plan. He did have FAITH and a BIG IDEA.When Martin Luther King Jr. “had a dream” that was culmination of a series of BIG IDEAS, the action steps he took and the faith he displayed and preached changed the way our African American brothers and sisters are forever viewed in this country. His unshakable faith even in the face of constant death threats kept the spirits of this people lifted high, and soon the world would change.
  • When Rosa Parks had the “big defiant idea” to not move to the back of the bus, she would unknowingly inspire an entire movement for her people. Soon African Americans everywhere would begin viewing themselves as being on the same level as their white peers. Soon this idea of equality would change the world.
  • When Walt Disney had the big idea “to stop working as an ambulance driver and to put all of his eggs into the animation basket” the world of entertainment forever changed. Plagued by endless financial trouble and series of bad business partnerships, his faith never wavered. And with his unshakable FAITH and a cartoon that would soon be known as Mickey Mouse, this “crazy person” transformed American story telling. Soon Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Pinocchio and other great Disney stories and characters would become common household names. Years later his “magical kingdom” would finally be built and Disneyland would forever become a “magical place for kids.”
  • When Russell Simmons had the big idea that “black music could be sold a white audience” and that “rap music could become mainstream” the world would soon change. Soon Kurtis Blow’s “The Breaks” would break into the Billboard Top 40. Soon Run DMC would become a household name. Soon record sales would be fueled heavily by hip hop artists. Def Jam was then formed. Def Comedy jam followed. Hip Hop clothing became mainstream and the urban African American culture began to become “trend setters” in the way he imagined in the late 70s.
  • When George Lucas had the idea to “change the way science fiction stories were told on the big screen” the world again changed. Soon his “weird stories” of “wookies, droids, Darth Vader, stormtroopers and Yoda” would come to life. Soon people would forget that the man literally had a heart-attack at a young age as he fought with Hollywood, European film unions, his budget overruns to get the film made. Only after years of struggle did his film finally get releases with much angst from the Hollywood establishment. However, after the movie began to play in selected theaters across the country the world quickly got caught up “in the force.” A billion dollar franchise was born, and the way the world made movies would never be the same.
  • When Steve Jobs had the ideas to “think differently,” and to “create an enjoyable experience with technology from the store, to the opening of the box and to the using the final product”  the world changed again. Although Steve meant much of his lifetime fighting for every inch he got in a way that often screamed “by any means necessary” one man changed the planet and the face of technology forever. Under Steve’s direction, computer animation changed from a fringe art to a mainstream technology, cell phones became fun, people began saving the boxes their computers came in, computers began to look cool, the computer shopping experience would be revolutionized, the way people carry around their music and personalize their playlists would forever change. Because of Steve’s big ideas animated movies became the norm, computers began to fit inside their monitors, people began talking to their phones and not just on their phones, touch screen tablets were introduced into a market that no one thought existed, the computer mouse became a device that we now all use. Because of Steve’s “crazy ideas” the world is now very different.
  • What’s your “big idea” going to be? Will you live a life that is “safe and centric” or will you live a life in pursuit of your own happiness.

Entrepreneurship Quotes:

“9 out of ten new businesses fail in the first five years.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“A business is a complex system of inter-operating systems.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on entrepreneurship

“About 80% of our locations are second-generation. In other  words, the building used to be, say, a Wal-Mart that moved out to become a Super Wal-Mart, or a Kmart that closed. It seems that such a site becomes available almost every year in every city.” – David Green Founder of Hobby Lobby (on entrepreneurship)

“A man who succeeds in life must sometimes go against the current.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on CEO training and leadership)

“Assetts put money in your pocket. Liabilities take money out of your pocket.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” (on financial education)

“At the start of any business, keeping the cash flowing in is the entrepreneur’s most IMPORTANT JOB.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

The proper business startup mindset:

“In any new business, someone has to have a vision. You are as good as the people around you. Don’t try to be all things to all people. Identify your core community and go from there. Nothing happens the way it’s supposed to. In my experience it often takes as long as five years to make a business work. Partners can fail you. Staff may not execute properly. You could be too far ahead of the market. SO you have to be willing to hand in there and make it happen. From the founding of Phat Farm in 1992 until 1997, I lost money. By my account, I experienced $10 million in losses. But today Phat Farm is visible, it is imitated and it generates hundreds of millions of dollars. It took time, but good ideas often do need time to take off. Being an entrepreneur requires instinct, fortitude and the ability to accept that the world does not run on your schedule. Sometimes you just have to believe.” – Russell Simmons: Business and Life Lessons: – Russel Simmons from his autobiography “Life & Def: Sex, Drugs, Money & God”

“Buy Assetts and Never Buy Liabilities for your business and for your life.” – Robert Kiyosaki’s Guide To Investing (on cash-flow)

“Catering to a mass audience usually backfires. Instead the key thing is to stay in your lane, and if you are good enough and interesting enough, people move to you…If you never compromise, your core audience will come with you as you grow. Then you build on their loyalty and bring in other people.” – Russel Simmons from his autobiography “Life & Def: Sex, Drugs, Money & God” (on marketing)

“Christopher Colombus’ big mistake was that he was looking for a trade route to China, and accidentally bumped into America, the richest, most powerful country in the world.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Delay taking a salary until your business is generating cash flow from sales…by delaying taking a salary, you can reinvest sales to help grow your business.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Eliminate the fear of old age by reaching a decision to accept it, not as a handicap, but as a great blessing which carries with it wisdom, self-control, and understanding not known to youth. Whip the fear of poverty by reaching a decision to get along with whatever wealth you can accumulate without worry. Master the fear of loss of love by reaching decision to get along without love, if that is necessary. Kill that habit of worry in all its forms, by reaching a general, blanket decision that that nothing which life has to offer is worth the price of worry. With this decision comes poise, peace of mind, and calmness of thought which will bring happiness.” – Napoleon Hill (on leadership, and personal development)

“Establish late-payment penalties as part of your terms and conditions and enforce them.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Eventually I left City College in my senior year, just four or five credits short of a sociology degree. This really upset my father who thought that I was a fool. Over and over he lectured me that the only way for a black man to make it was to get a degree and a job. For a while there I felt like I was a failure in my father’s eyes, which hurt alot, but promoting felt right in my gut. I knew that to be a man I had to follow my heart. My mother was always more open to Danny, Joey and me pursuing a more non-traditional entrepreneurial way…Early in my promoting career I lost all the money I’d saved on a show in Harlem no one came to. I came out to Hollis and no one would help me. My father just wanted me to go back to school and told me so. What could I say? I had no money. Then my mother went back in the house and came with $2,000 in crisp $100 bills from her personal savings. It was that money that kept me afloat until Kurtis Blow broke and I entered the record business. That act of love and faith, which is what kept me in business at a key time, is my favorite memory of her.” – Russel Simmons from his autobiography “Life & Def: Sex, Drugs, Money & God” (on over-coming failure)

“Experience has proven that the best educated people are often those who are known as “self-made,” or “self-educated. It takes more than a college degree to make one a person of education. Any person who is educated is one who has learned to get whatever he wants in life without violating the rights of others. Education consists no so much of knowledge, but of knowledge effectively and peristently applied. Men are paid nor merely for tha they know, but more particulary for what they do with that which they know.” – Napoleon Hill (on continuing educating and the importance of)

“Focus on your people – Without employees and customers, your’re going nowwhere.” – David Green (Founder of Hobby Lobby)

“For any business to grow, individuals must be accountable for each of the systems, and a general overall director must be in charge of making sure all the systems operate to the highest capacity.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on running a business.

“He possessed a sense of calling in both religion and business, with Christianity and capitalism forming the twin pillars of his life.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on John Rockefeller’s life, and his personal development).

“His strategy would be to subjugate one part of the battlefield, consolidate his forces, then move briskly on to the next conquest. His victory over the Cleveland refiners would be the first but alos the most controversial compaign of his career.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on aggressive growth strategies, CEO training)
“I am not a best-writing author. I am a best-selling author.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“In the world of education, the more mistakes a person makes, the less intelligent that person is thought to be. In the world of entrepreneurship, mistakes are opportunities to learn something new, something not known previously. In the world of entrepreneurship, the more mistakes a person makes, the more a person learns. There is a bit of magic in every mistakes, so when you make mistakes, take the time to learn from them, and you’ll have more magic in your life.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“I loved the work – and that’s an important point: To succeed in retail, you have to love it. The process of bringing items in, displaying them attractively, and seeing them miraculously change into actual cash in the drawer has to gt your blood racing. You can triple the sale of an item just by how and where you display it.” – David Green Founder of Hobby Lobby (on entrepreneurship)

“Install the proper systems.” – David Green Founder of Hobby Lobby (on CEO training

“I was not an easy student, and I had to apply myself diligently to prepare my lessons,” said Rockefeller, who described himself accurately as “reliable” but not “brilliant.” – John D. Rockefeller (on his self description and needed character traits of an entrepreneur)

“Levi Strauss headed for the gold fields of California to strike it rich in mining. However, he was not a good miner, so he instead began sewing pants out of canvas for the miners who were successful. Today I think most of the world has heard of Levi’s pants.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Many businesses forget that a crucial part of cash flow is managing your own bill paying. Make sure you pay your bills promptly. Ask for extended terms up front. After you have paid timely for two or three months, ask for additional extensions on your payable terms. A supplier will usually extend credit for 30 to 90 days to a good customer.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“My parents got one bedroom, my three sisters got the other bedroom, and my brother and I made do with a rollaway in the kitchen.” – David Green Founder of Hobby Lobby (on humble beginnings)

“NO PURCHASE SHOULD EVER BE MADE IN A BUSINESS UNLESS IT IS JUSTIFIED BY AN INCREASE IN SALES.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Once we finished “Christmas Rappin’” we began shopping it around town. There was interest, but no one was biting. The industry’s attitude was that “Rapper’s Delight” despite its U.S. sales and international appeal was an unrepeatable fluke. We identified Polygram which had a great roster of funk and R&B acts (Kool and the Gang, the Gap Band, Parliament) as the best place for Kurtis, so we made up a gang of test pressings and took them to clubs all over the city. Response in the street from DJs and club goers was great. So to hype up PolyGram we placed fake orders for the record into their system by telling retailers and wholesalers to order the 12 inch through PolyGram. PolyGram didn’t own it yet, but we created an appetite for “Christmas Rappin” that led them to buy it…So in the fall of 1979 Kurtis Blow signed with Mercury Records a division of Polygram Records, making him the first rapper on a major label…Christmas eve 1979 was the first time that I heard Christmas Rappin’ on the radio; I was upstairs at my family’s house. Frankie Crocker the biggest radio DJ in New York played it on WBLS.” – Russel Simmons from his autobiography “Life & Def: Sex, Drugs, Money & God” (on shameless self-promotion)

“Rockefeller never clarified why he dropped out of high school around May 1855, just 2 months shy of commencement, excercises on July 16…” – Ron Chernov on John D. Rockefeller’s history (history of an entrepreneur)

“Rich dad said to Mike and me, “I am so rich because I’ve made more financial mistakes than most people. Each time I made a mistake, I learned something new. In the business world, that something new is often called experience.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Sales is what you do in person, one on one. Marketing is sales done via a system. Most (Self-Employed) S quadrant businesspeople are very good at one-on-one sales. For them to make the transition to the B quadrant, they need to learn how to sell through a system which is called marketing.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on marketing

“Seeing his education soley in utilitarian terms, he studied hard, but showed no intellectual playfulness.” – Ron Chernov’s description of John D. Rockefeller (on traits of an entrepreneur)

“Since most people have not been taught how to make mistakes and learn from them, they either avoid making mistakes altogether, which is a bigger mistake, or they make a mistake but fail to  find the lesson from the mistakes.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Some of the biggest failures I’ve ever met, are people that have never failed.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Step up to the front, select what you want, create your plan, put your plan into action, and follow through with Persistence. Capitalist America will not rest.” – Napoleon Hill (on leadership)

“Success comes from keeping the ears open and the mouth closed, A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden of weeds.” – John D. Rockefeller (leadership training)

“You can abuse me, you can strike me, so long as you let me have my own.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on CEO training and entrepreneurship)

Investment Quotes:

“Checks should be endorsed immediately: FOR DEPOSIT ONLY.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Contrary to popular belief, the price of real estate does go down on occasion.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“I have ways of making money that you know nothing about”…(if you’re firm won’t sell) “you will stand alone,” “Your firm can never make any more money in Cleveland. No use trying to do business in competition with Standard Oil Company. If you do (continue to fight) it will end in your being wiped out.” – John D. Rockefeller (on competition)

“Profit and cash flow are not the same thing.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Rockefeller preferred to own raw land. In 1873, he invested in seventy-nine scenic acres at Forest Hill, a lovely, thickly wooded spot, crisscrossed by steep ravines and gulleys, just four miles east of his Euclid Avenue home.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on investing, real estate)

“So to hype up PolyGram we placed fake orders for the record into their system by telling retailers and wholesalers to order the 12 inch through PolyGram. PolyGram didn’t own it yet, but we created an appetite for “Christmas Rappin” that led them to buy it…So in the fall of 1979 Kurtis Blow signed with Mercury Records a division of Polygram Records, making him the first rapper on a major label…Christmas eve 1979 was the first time that I heard Christmas Rappin’ on the radio; I was upstairs at my family’s house. Frankie Crocker the biggest radio DJ in New York played it on WBLS.” – Russel Simmons from his autobiography “Life & Def: Sex, Drugs, Money & God” (on shameless self-promotion)

“The dollar has lost 90% of its value in the last century.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“The better at communicating you are, and the more people you communicate to, the better your cash flow will be.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“The good-will of a business which is losing money is not worth much.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on negotiation and CEO training)

“When people write checks, they are depleting an asset. And when people are using credit cards, they are increasing their liabilities. In other words, credit cards make it so much easier to get deeper and deeper into debt by increasing your monthly liabilties.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

Leadership Quotes:

“A CEO’s job is to supervise all systems and to indentify weaknesses before the weaknesses turn into system failures. This can happen in many different ways, but it is exceptionally disconcerting when you company is growing rapidly. Your sales are increasing, your product of service is getting attention from the media, and suddenly you can’t deliver. Why? Uusually, it’s because your systems imploded from the increased demand. You didn’t have enough phone lines, or operators answering the phones. You didn’t have enough production capacity or enough hours in the week to meet the demand; or you didn’t have the money to build the product or hire additional help. Whatever the reason, you missed the opportunity to move your business to the next level of success due to failure of one of your systems…At each new level of growth, the CEO must start planning the systems needed to support the next level of growth, from phone lines to lines of credit for production needs. Systems drive both cash flow management and communication. As your systems get better, you or your employees will have to exert less and less effort. Without well-designed and successful operating systems, your business will be labor intensive. Once you have well-designed and successful operating systems, you will have a saleable business asset. ” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on CEO TRAINING

“A man has not right to occupy another man’s time unnnecessary” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on being on time and management skills)

“An analysis of several hundred people who had accumulated fortunes well beyond the million dollar mark, disclosed the fact that every one of theme had the habit of reaching decisions promptly, and changing these decisions slowly if and when they were changed…The major weaknes of all educational systems is that they neither teach nor encourage the habit of DEFINITE DECISION…Most individuals lack the will-power to reach decisions promptly, and to stand by them after they have been made, even during normal business conditions.” – Napoleon Hill (on leadership, and management)

“Be a coach, not a cheerleader.” – Stacy Thorn w/ Arbonne International

“Before you can be sure of your ability to transmute DESIRE into its monetary equivalent, you will require SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE of the service, merchandise or profession which you intend to offer in return for fortune.” – Napoleon Hill (leadership)

“Employees were invited to send complaints or suggestions directly to him and he always took an interest in their affairs. He was the best employer of his time, instituting hospitalization and retirement pensions. He was a fine boss if workers abided by the rules, but if they did something foolish, like show interest in a union, they promptly forfeited his sympathy. Rockefeller never acknowledged the legitamacy of organized labor, nor did he tolerate union organizers on his premises.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller (on CEO training)

“It takes a leader to create momentum. Followers catch it. And managers are able to continue it once it has begun. But creating it requires someone who can motivate others, not who needs to be motivated. Harry Truman once said, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” But for leaders, that statement should be changed to, “If you can’t make some heat, get out of the kitchen.” – The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (on leadership) (CEO training)

“Nevertheless, in the first years of Standard Oil, Rockefeller regularly toured his facilities and was extremely inquisitive and observant, soaking up information and assiduously quizzing plant superintendants. In his pocket, he carried a little red notebook in which he jotted suggestions or improvements and always followed up on them. He knew the terror inspired by the “little red book.” “More than once I have gone to luncheon with a number of our heads of departments and have seen the sweat out of on the foreheads for some of them when that little red notebook was pulled out.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (management and followup)

“Often the best way to develop workers – when you are sure they have the character and think they have the ability – is to take them to a deep place, throw them in and make them sink or swim.” – John D. Rockefeller (on training and leadership and human resources)

“No genuine leader is ever “too busy” to do anything which may be required of him in his capacity as leader. When a man, whether he is a leader of followers, admits he is “too busy” to change his plans, or to give attention to any emergency, he admits his inefficiency. The successful leader must be the master of all details connected with his position.” – Napoleon Hill (on leadership)

“The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee, and I pay for more that ability than for any other under the sun.” John D. Rockefeller (on Human Resources, hiring and leadership)

“Treat them (the employees) well, but see that they work.” – John D. Rockefeller – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on managing)

The Major Attritbutes of Leadership: The following are important factors of leadership. – Napoleon Hill

  • Unwavering Courage Based Upon Knowledge of Self, and of One’s Occupation. No follower wishes to be dominated by a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage. No intelligent follwer will be dominated by such a leader very long.
  • Self Control. The man who cannot control himself can never control others. Self control sets a mighty example for one’s followers, which the more intelligent will emulate.
  • A Keen Sense of Justice. Without a sense of fairness and justice, no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers.
  • Definiteness of Decision. The man who wavers in his decisions, shows that he is not sure of himself. He cannot lead others successfully.
  • Definiteness of Plans. The successful leader must plan his work and his work his plan. A leader who moves by guessworkd, without practical, definite plans, is comparable to a ship without a rudder. Sooner of later he will land on the rocks.
  • The Habit of Doing More Than Paid For. One of the penalties of leadership is the necessity of willingness upon the part of the leader to do more than he requires of his followers.
  • A Pleasing Personality. No slovenly careless person can become a successful leader. Leadership calls for respect. Followers will not respect a leader who does not grade high on all the factors of a pleasing personality.
  • Sympathy and Understanding. The succesful leader must in sympathy with his followers. Moreover, he must understand them and their problems.
  • Mastery of Detail. Successful leadership calls for mastery of details of the leader’s position.
  • Willingness To Assume Full Responsibility. The successful leader must be willing to assume responsibility for the mistakes and the shortcomings of his followers. If he tries to shift this responsibility he will not remain the leader. If one of his followers makes a mistake, and shows himself incompetent, the leader must consider that it is he who failed.
  • Cooperation. The successful leader must understand and apply the principle of cooperative effort and be able to induce his followers to do the same. Leadership calls for POWER and power calls for cooperation.

“There are two types of people in the world. One type is known as leaders and the other as followers. Decide at the outset whether you intend to become a leader in your chose calling or remain a follower. The difference in compensation is vast. The follwer cannot reasonably expect the compensation to which a leader is entitled, although many followers make the mistake of expecting such pay.” – Napoleon Hill (leadership)

“Whenever a company proudly announces the establishment of its beautiful, new, modern corporate headquarters, you can be sure it’s heading downhill. Why? Because instead of focusing on their business, the company’s managers are focusing on themselves. Messy desks, cramped quarters and unlovely surroundings are the physical manifestations of people too busy getting the work done to care much about their own creature comforts. The greatest danger to a business is not risk. It’s a lack of risk: complacency.” – Harvey MacKay (on leadership and business culture)

Self-Help:

“A Carnegie or a Rockefeller or a James J. Hill or a Marshall Field accumulates a fortune through the applications of the same principles available to all of us, but we envy them and their wealth without ever thinking of studying their philosophy and applying it to ourselves. We look at a successful person in the hour of their triumph and wonder how they did it, but we overlook the importance of analyzing their methods. And we forget the price they had to pay in the careful, well-organized preparation that had to be made before they could reap the fruits of their efforts.” – Napoleon Hill

“Always remember that nothing kills great ideas more than people with small ideas and limited imaginations.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” — Henry Ford: Founder, Ford Motor Company, prolific inventor

“A wise man is a confirmed optimist.” – Andrew Carnegie on having a Positive Mental Attitude

“Confidence is a habit that can be developed by acting as if you already had the confidence you desire to have.”” – Brian Tracy

“Each morning before breakfast, Rockefeller led the family in prayer, charging out a penny fine to latecomers.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on punctuality)

“Establish good internal controls over the handling of cash. The people who record the cash receipts on the bank deposits must be different from those who post it to the accounts receivable and general ledger.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“For me, learning to my control my temper has been a lifelong process. So has the process of being will to take risks, make mistakes and be grateful for the other person, even if I may no longer speak to or do business with that person. When I reflect back on my life, I would say that it is this mental attitude that has made me the most money, has brought me the most success, and has ultimately allowed me to have the most magic in my life.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use being anything else.“ – Winston Churchill on Optimism

“Get through your fears and the world will open up. Give in to your fears and your world will get smaller every year.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” – Albert Einstein on entrepreneurship

“He embodied all its virtues of thrift, self-reliance, hard work, and unflagging enterprise…” (Description of John D. Rockefeller and the ideal entrepreneur)

“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.”  – Mark Twain

“If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.” — John D. Rockefeller

“Imagination is more important that knowledge” – Albert Einstein on entrepreneurship

“I’m a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson

“In reality it is the focus on the first three D’s that ultimately gains you the data, and the dollars you need to become very, very rich…in other words the dollars are derived from having a dream, being dedicated, and having the drive to win.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“In order to become rich, you need to learn to build systems that can work without you.” .” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” (on CEO training)

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” — Steve Jobs (Founder of Apple Computers)

“I remember clearly when the financial plan – If i may call it so – of my life was formed. It was out in Ohio, under the ministration of a dear old minister who preached, “Get money; get it honestly, and then give it away wisely.” I wrote that down in a little book.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on purpose, passion, entrepreneurship)

“Many people who come to me with a business plan or to ask for money look like a mice that has been chewed by a cat. No matter how good their plan, their physical appearance is a limiting factor. In public speaking, it is said that body language accounts for approximately 55% of communication. Voice tone 35%, and words 10%. If you remember President Kennedy, JFK, he had 100% working for him and it physically attractive as he was, we can all do our best to dress and groom appropriately to make our points stronger.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“One of the most powerful forms of communication that affects a business is one over which you have little control (after the conversation has already begun): The communication from your existing customers to your potential customers. At CASHFLOW Technologies, Inc. we attribute a large part of our success to our customers telling other people about us. The power of this word-of-mouth advertising is immeasurable.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on marketing

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.” – Dale Carnegie

“Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth. Everyon has a flock of opinions ready to be wished upon anyone who will accept them. If you are influenced by opinions when you reach decisions you will not succeed in any undertaking, much less in that of transmuting YOUR OWN DESIRE into money…Close friends and relatives, while not meaning  to do so, often handicap one through “opinions” and sometimes through ridicule, which is meant to be humorous. Thousands of men and women carry inferiority complexes with them all through life, because some well-meaning, but ignorant person destroyed their confidence through “opinions” or ridicule.” – Napoleon Hill (on leadership)

“People who do not succeed have one distinguishing trait in common. They know all the resons for failure, and have what they believe to be air-tight alibis to explain their own lack of achievement:
If I had the money
If I could get the job
If I had been given a chance
If I were only younger
If I were only older
If I only had a better education
If I could just save some money
If I lived in a big city
If I were not so fat
If my talents were known
If I didn’t have a past
If I had my own business
If I had the courage”
– Napoleon Hill (on personal development)

“Run your business in harmony with God’s laws.” – David Green Founder of Hobby Lobby (on CEO training

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchhill (on financial education and entrepreneurship)

“The basis of persistence is the power of will. Men who accumulate great fortunes are genearlly known as cold-blooede and sometimes ruthless. Often they are misunderstood. What they have is will-power, which they mix with persistence, and place back of their desires to insure that attainment of their objectives. Henry Ford was generally misunderstood to be ruthless and cold-blooded. This misconception great out of Ford’s habit of following through in all of his plans with persistence…Few carry on despite all opposition until they attain their goal. Those few are the Fords, Carnegies, Rockefeller and Edisons” – Napoleon Hill (Author of “Think & Grow Rich”)

“The idea is to have relationships where you make money and the other guy makes money, too. That’s how a business keeps its team together.” – Russel Simmons from his autobiography “Life & Def: Sex, Drugs, Money & God” (on human relations and building a team)

“The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline.” — Bum Phillips

“The main cause of depression is traceable directly to the world-wide habit of trying to REAP without sowing.” – Napoleon Hill (on motivation)

“The man who has no imagination has no wings.” – Muhammad Ali (boxer) (on creativity and CEO training)

“The more people I serve, the richer I become.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on financial education

“Thinking (of how to improve your life and business) is the hardest thing there is. That is why so few people engage in it.” – Henry Ford (on financial education)

“Trump has been very influential in helping me expand by vision. Sometimes I talk to Donald two or three times a day, and he’s taught me many things. The best thing was a story he tells me about buying a building. When he built Trump Tower he also bought the rights to use the Tiffany name on the building. It was gonna be Tiffany Tower. He late father said, “Yeah right. When you change your name to Tiffany, you call it Tiffany Tower. But for now, you call it Trump.
Over a period of years whenever he was in trouble, his name and his promotion of himself as a brand are what saved him. I keep that lesson in mind. I remember how connecting Def Comedy Jam to Def Jam records helped both entities – associating HBO with an established hip-hop brand helped get the show on the air, while linking the label to a hot TV show helped the label survive a cold period.” – Russel Simmons from his autobiography “Life & Def: Sex, Drugs, Money & God” (on self-promotion)

“You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it.” – Bill Cosby (on self-improvement and positive mental attitude)

“You must be the change to wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi (on self-improvement)

“When I look at the 10% of Americans who control 90% of all the shares in America and 73% of the wealth, I understand exactly where their wealth was derived. Many acquired that wealth in much the same way as Henry Ford and Thomas Edison (who was worth far more than Bill Gates at his day and age). The list includes Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Warren Buffet, Rupert Murdock, Anita Roddick, Richard Branson, and others who all acquired their wealth the same way. They found their spirit and their mission; built a business; and allowed others to share in the dreams, the risks as well as the rewards. You can do the same thing if you want. Just follow the same diagram rich dad guided me with: the B-I Triangle.” – Robert Kiyosaki – Business & Financial Guru

“Whenever you are speaking, both your passion for your business and your appearance will have a lasting impact on your audience.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” on marketing

“You will need to find ways to do less and less to make more and more.” – Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad’s Guide To Investing” (on CEO training).

Entrepreneur Stories:

Accomplishments & Mindset of Ben Franklin – What Are We Doing With Our Time?

  • Benjamin Franklin started the first library based on the “Mastermind Principle.”
  • Benjamin Franklin started America’s first fire insurance company based on the “Mastermind Principle.”
  • At age 24 Benjamin Franklin owned his first business.
  • To be a successful entrepreneur you need to have a certain impatience that in our world is a virtue. You have to be a clear thinker. You have to be focused. You have to have an acute sense of the need to get going.

Carnegie On Business Ethics:

“A great business is seldom if ever built up, except on lines of the strictest integrity. A reputation for “cuteness” and sharp dealing is fatal in great affairs. Not the letter of the law, but the spirit, must be the rule. The standard of commercial morality is now very high. A mistake made by any one in favor of the firm is corrected as promptly as if the error were in favor of the other party. It is essential to permanent success that a house should obtain a reputation for being governed by what is fair rather that what is merely legal. A rule which is adpoted and adhered to has given greater returns than one would believe possible, namely; always give the other party the benefit of the doubt. This course does not apply to the speculative class (the stock market). An entirely different atmosphere pervades that world. Men are only gamblers there. Stock gambling and honorable business are incompatible. In recent years it must be admitted that the old fashioned “banker,” like Julius S. Morgan of London has become rare.” – Andrew Carnegie on Business Ethics

Carnegie On Mass Production:

“To make a ton of steel on and half tons of iron stone has to be mined, transported by rail a hundred miles to the Lakes, carried by boat hundreds of miles, transferred to cars, transported by rail 150 miles to Pittsburgh; one and a half tons of coal must be mined and manufactured into coke and carried 50 (odd) miles by rail; and one ton of limestone mined and carried 150 miles to Pittsburgh. How then could steel be manufactured and sold without loss at 3 pounds for 2 cents. This, I confess seemed to me incredible, and little less than miraculous, but it was so.” – Andrew Carnegie on the Production Process / Workflow Map

Rockefeller Deals With Stress:

In his rigidgly compartmentalized life, each hour was tightly budgeted, whether for business, religion, family or exercise. Perhaps those daily rituals helped him deal with the underlying tensions that might otherwise have become ungovernable, for although he tried to project to an air of unhurried calm, he was under terrific strain the surface, was constantly on edge. In one of his few admissions of weakness he recalled, “for years on end I never had a solid night’s sleep, worrying about how it was to come out…I tossed about in bed night after night worrying over the outcome…All the fortune that I have made has not served to compensate for the anxiety of that period.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (Rockefeller on starting a business, managing partners and entrepreneurship)

Rockefeller Fights With Competitors:

“It it impossible to comprehend Rockefeller’s breathtaking ascent without realizing that he always moved into battle backed by adundant cash. Whether riding out downturns or coasting on booms, he kept plentiful reserves and won many bidding contests simply because his war chest was deeper. Rockefeller vividly described the way he had hastily enlisted the aid of bankers to snap up one rifinery:

“It required many hundreds of thousands of dollars and in cash, securities would not answer. I received the message at about noon, and had to get off on the 3 o’clock train. I drove from bank to bank asking each president or cashier, whomever I could find first, to get ready for me all the funds he could possibly lay hands on. I told them I would be back to get the money later. I rounded up all of our banks in the city, and made a secondary journey to get the money, and kept going until I secured the necessary amount. With this I was off on the 3 o’clock train and closed the transaction.”  – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on entrpreneurship, starting a business, becoming a managing partner)

Rockefeller Find’s His First Job:

“Despite incessant dissappointment, he doggedly pursued a position. Each morning, he left his boardinghouse at eight o’ clock, clothed in a dark suit with a high collar and black tie, to make his rounds of appointed firms. This grimly determined trek went on each day, six days per week for six consecutive weeks, until late in the afternoon. The streets were so hot and hard that he grew footsore from pacing them. His perseverance surely owed something to his desire to end his reliance upon his fickle father. At one point, Bill (his father) suggested that if John didn’t find work he might have to return to the country; the thought of such dependence upon his father made “a cold chill” run down his spine, Rockefeller later said. Because he approached his job hunt devoid of any doubt or self-pity, he could stare down discouragement. “I was working every day at my business –the business of looking for work. I put in my full time at this everyday.” He was a confirmed exponent of positive thinking.

With almost thirty thousand inhabitants, Cleveland was a boom town that would have thrilled any young man avid for business experience. It had drawn many transplants from New England who had brought along the Puritan mores and Yankee trading culture of their old hometowns. While the streets were largely unpaved and the town lacked a sewage system, Cleveland was expanding rapidly, with immigrants pouring in from Germany and England as well as the Eastern seaboard. The plenty if the Midwest passed through the commercial crossroads of the Western Reserve: coal from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, iron ore from around Lake Superior, salt from Michigan, grain and corn from the plains states. As a port on Lake Erie and the Ohio Canal, Clevelend was a natural hub for transportation networks. When the Cleveland Colombus and Cincinatti Railroad arrived in 1951, it created excellent opportunities for transport by both water and rail, and nobody would more brilliantly exploit these options than John D. Rockefeller.
For all the thriving waterfront commerce, the job prospects were momentarily bleak. “No one wanted a boy, and very few showed any overwhelming anxiety to talk with me on the subject,” said Rockefeller. When he exhausted his list he simply started over from the top and visited several firms two or three times. Another boy might have been crestfallen, but Rockefeller was the sort of stubborn person who only grew more determined with rejection.

Then, on the morning of September 26th 1855, he walked into the offices of Hewitt & Tuttle, commission merchants and produce shippers on Mervin Street. He was interviewed by Henry B. Tuttle, the junior partner, who needed help with his books and asked him to return after lunch. Ecstatic, Rockefeller walked with restraint from the office, but when he got downstairs and rounded the corner he skipped down the street in pure joy. Even as an elderly man, he a saw the moment as endowed with high drama: “All my future seemed to hinge on that day: and I often tremble when I ask myself the question: What if I had not got the job?

In a “fever of anxiety,” Rockefeller awaited until the noonday meal was over, then returned to the office, where he was interviewed by senior partner Iasacc L. Newton. Owner of a good deal of Cleveland real estate and a mighty capitalist indeed. After scutinizing the boy’s penmanship, he clared “we’ll give you a chance.” They were evidently in urgent need of an assistant bookkeeper, since they told Rockefeller to hang up his coat and go straight to work without any mention of wages. In those days, it wasn’t unusual for an adolescent to serve an unpaid apprenticeship, and it was three months before John received his first humble retroactive pay. For the rest of his life he would honor September 26th as “JOB DAY” and celebrate it with more genuine brio than his birthday. One is tempted to say that his real life began on that day, that he was born again in business as he would be in the Erie Street Baptist Mission Church. All the latent dynamism that had been dormant during his country youth would now quicken into robust, startling life in the business world. He was finally liberated from Big Bill (his father), the endless flight from town to town, the whole crazy upside-down world of his boyhood.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on entrepreneurship, starting a business, the marketing route)

Rockefeller’s Growth Strategy: 

“In absorbing companies, Rockefeller was secretive and asked them to continue operating under their original names and not divulge their Standard Oil Ownership. They were instructed to retain their original stationary, keep secret accounts, and not allude on paper to their Cleveland connection.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on competition and hostile take overs…CEO training)

Rockefeller’s Management Style:

In this early period, Rockefeller was a chronic worrier who labored under a great deal of self-imposed stress. Though not versed in the scientific side of refining, he often excercised a direct managerial role in the plant. With fluctuating market conditions, he sometimes needed shipments to New York with great dispatch and personally rushed down to the railroad tracks to motivate the freight handlers. “I shall never forget how hungry I was in those days. I stayed out of doors day and night; I ran up and down the tops of freight cars, when necessary; I hurried up the boys.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on management, creating a sense of urgency in new business, entrepreneurship)

Rockefeller Raises Capital:

“As he brooded over how to raise the money, he was informed by his father that he had always intended to give each of his children $1,000.00 at age twenty-one, and he now offered to advance John the money. “But, John,” he added lest his son expect miracles, “the rate is ten.” Having just retrieved a thousand dollars from Hewitt, Bill might have been looking for a high return on these idle funds. John knew his father too well to plead for a gift and accepted the 10 percent loan, which was higher than the prevailing rate.” So on April 1, 1858 backed up by this borrowed money, John D. Rockefeller left Isaac Hewitt and joined the partnership of Clark and Rockefeller at 32 River Street (in Cleveland). At eighteen, he was catapulted to a partner’s rank in a commission house. “It was  a great thing to be my own employer,” said Rockefeller. “Mentally I swelled with pride – a partner in a firm with $4,000 capital!” The moment was fraught with meaning for him and after his first day at work, he went back to the Cheshire Street house, fell to his knees, and implored the Lord to bless his new enterprise.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (on entrpreneurship, starting a business, becoming a managing partner)

Rockefeller’s Strategy: 

“Rockefeller’s supreme insight was that he could solve the oil industry’s problems by solving the railroad’s problems at the same time, creating a double cartel in oil and rails. One of Rockefeller’s strength in bargaining situations was that he figured out what he wanted and what the other party wanted and then crafted mutually advanteous terms. Instead of ruining the railroads, Rockefeller tried to help them prosper, albeit in away that fortified his own position.” – Ron Chernoz from “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller” (negotiation, leadership training)

The Ben Hur Story: The Habit of Doing More Than Paid For

City – Antioch in ancient Rome.

Time – 2000 years ago, when the great city of Jerusalem and all of the land of Judea were under the oppressive heel of Rome.
The Star gigue of the story was a young Jew named Ben Hur, who was falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to hard labor at the galley’s oar. Chained to a bench in the galley and being forced to tug wearily at the oars. Ben Hu developed a powerful body. Little did his tormentors know that out of his punishment would grow the strenght with which he would one day gain his freedom. Perhaps Ben Hur, himself, had no such hopes.

The came the day of the chariot races: the day that was destined to break the chains that bound Ben Hur to the oas of the galley and give him his freedom. One span of horses was without a driver. In desperation the owner sought the aid of the young slave because of his mighty arms, and begged him to take the place of the missing driver.

As Ben Hur picked up the reins, a mighty cry went up from the onlookers.
“Look! Look! Those arms! – where did you get them?” They howed, and Ben Hur answered:
“At the galley’s oar!”
The race was on. With those might arms Ben Hur calmy drove that charging span of horses on to victory; victory that won for him his freedom. Life, itself, is a great chariot race, and the victory goes only to those who have developed the strength of character and determination and will-power to win.

What matters is that we develop this strength through cruel confinement at the galley’s oar, as long as we use it so that it brings us, finally, to victory and freedom. Is is an unwarying law that strength grows out of resistance. If we pity the poor blacksmith who swings a five pound hammer all day long, we must also admire the wonderful arm that he develops in doing it. – Napoleon Hill on the habit of doing more than paid for.

The Founding of Our Country:

“The greatest decision of all time, as far as any American citizen is concerned was reached in Philadelphia, July 4th 1776, when 56 men signed their names to a document, which they well knew would bring freedom to all Americans, or leave every one of the fifty-six hanging from the gallows. On July 4th 1776 Thomas Jefferson stood before the Assembly and fearlessly read the most momentus Decision ever placed upon paper.” – Napoleon Hill

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