Lee Iacocca
37 quotes
Biography
"Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then...do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen."
"We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course." Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic."
"We were on a joyride, on free energy almost. [...] It seems to me we need something like the Manhattan Project. We need some urgency saying, "Here's what we should be doing. We've got to get off fossil fuels.""
"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."
"Safety doesn’t sell."
"In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive."
"In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive."
"I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it."
"There are times when even the best manager is like the little boy with the big dog, waiting to see where the dog wants to go so he can take him there."
"Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate with your employees, motivate them and reward them. If you do all those things effectively, you can't miss."
"In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product, and profits."
"Every business and every product has risks. You can't get around it."
"There is no substitute for accurate knowledge. Know yourself, know your business, know your men."
"A guy named Charlie Beacham was my first mentor at Ford. He taught me the importance of the dealers, and he rubbed my nose in the retail business."
"The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being."
"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."
"Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen."
"The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works, is the family."
"We at Chrysler borrow money the old-fashioned way. We pay it back."
"Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen."
"One of the things the government can't do is run anything. The only things our government runs are the post office and the railroads, and both of them are bankrupt."
"In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive."
"We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems."
"There is no substitute for accurate knowledge. Know yourself, know your business, know your men."
"I forgot to shake hands and be friendly. It was an important lesson about leadership."