Lee Iacocca Quotes - Page 3

The ability to concentrate and to use time well is everything.

Most people are looking for security, a nice, safe, prosperous future. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's called the American Dream.

In the great undertakings, there is glory, even in failure.

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.

I'd really love to meet the guy I'm supposed to be. I'd hire him in a second.

I learned about the strength you can get from a close family life. I learned to keep going, even in bad times. I learned not to despair, even when my world was falling apart. I learned that there are no free lunches. And I learned the value of hard work.

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

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.

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

There is no substitute for accurate knowledge. Know yourself, know your business, know your men.

A country's competitiveness starts not on the factory floor or in the engineering lab. It starts in the classroom.

In business, I loved cars. I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning. Only in America can you decide to get a good education and pursue what you like.

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

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.

A good deal is a state of mind.

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

Here's what management is about: Pick good people and set the right priorities.

We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?

Get all the education you can then go out and do something - do anything.

From what I've seen, you either get grounded in that kind of positive thinking early on in life or you don't. Establishing priorities and using your time well aren't things you can pick up at the Harvard Business School. Formal learning can teach you a great deal, but many of the essential skills in life are the ones you have to develop on your own.

The one word that makes a good manager - decisiveness.

The primary skill of a manager consists of knowing how to make assignments and picking the right people to carry out those assignments

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

I was at Ford for 32 years. I went to Chrysler in 1978, four or five months after I got canned by Henry Ford.

Bad times are indelible. They stay with you forever.