Funny, Inspiring, and Thought-Provoking Business Quotes

Here is a list of some funny, inspiring, and thought-provoking quotes that are about business—or that can be applied to the business world.

• "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." — Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France
• "Right now, this is just a job. If I advance any higher in this company, then this would be my career. And, well, if this were my career? I’d have to throw myself in front of a train." — Jim Halpert, "The Office," Season 1, "Health Care"

• "If at first, you don’t succeed, take the tax loss." — Kirk Kirkpatrick, entrepreneur
• "It's better to be a pirate than to join the navy." — Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple
• "Sell a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, you ruin a wonderful business opportunity." — Karl Marx, philosopher and author
• "The politicians say 'we' can't afford a tax cut. Maybe we can't afford the politicians." — Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes Media
• "There are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there." — Indira Gandhi, former prime minister of India
• "Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people." — David Sarnoff, pioneer of American commercial radio and TV
• "You hear about how many fourth-quarter comebacks that a guy has, and I think it means a guy screwed up in the first three quarters." — Peyton Manning, former NFL quarterback

• "An acceptable level of unemployment means that the government economist to whom it is acceptable still has a job." — Unknown
• "The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application form." — Stanley J. Randall, Canadian businessman and politician
• "Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” — Oprah Winfrey, media executive
• "Making a comeback is one of the most difficult things to do with dignity." — Greg Lake, musician with Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
• "It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." — author Herman Melville
• "Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get." — Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's Corp.
• "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." — John D. Rockefeller, oil tycoon and philanthropist

• "The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership." — Harvey S. Firestone, founder of Firestone Tire & Rubber Company
• "For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three." — Alice Kahn, American writer