Collis P. Huntington

"The man who never fails has never attempted anything worthwhile."

"Markets reward clarity and punish hesitation."

"I learned that the greatest negotiator is the one who can walk away from the table."

"Time is the one commodity that cannot be purchased, borrowed, or stolen. Use it accordingly."

"The foundation of any lasting enterprise is trust, even among fierce competitors."

"I have found that those who speak most about their plans accomplish least. Action is the only eloquence that matters."

"The consolidation of railroads was not about greed; it was about efficiency and the inevitable march of progress."

"A man's character is revealed not in his moments of comfort, but in his hours of crisis."

"I have never believed in the value of formal education divorced from practical application."

"The secret to sustained success is knowing when to defend your position and when to advance it."

"Sentiment in business is the disease of the weak. Sentiment in family is the foundation of the strong."

"I have observed that the difference between the rich and poor is often simply the willingness to endure discomfort."

"The integration of competing railways was not a failure of competition, but its ultimate expression."

"A visionary is simply a man who sees what others will eventually have to accept."

"I learned that monopoly is not the enemy of commerce; it is commerce perfected."

"The man who operates only within the law has surrendered the advantage to those who do not."

"I have always maintained that wealth without influence is merely a burden upon the mind."

"The greatest investments are those that seem foolish to the contemporaries who witness them."

"In times of uncertainty, decisive action separates the leader from the follower."

"I have found that my enemies have taught me more than my friends ever could."

"The railroad is a mirror of human civilization: both are designed to move people forward."

"A man should be judged not by the obstacles he faced, but by the manner in which he overcame them."

"I have spent my life proving that the impossible is merely the unexplored."

"The consolidation of capital is not a moral question; it is an economic inevitability."

"Great men are not born; they are created through the friction of ambition and circumstance."

"I learned that the truly wealthy are those who can sleep peacefully knowing their affairs are in order."

"The man who complains about circumstances has already surrendered to them."

"I have never sought approval for my actions; I have sought success, and let others judge accordingly."

"The railroad transformed America not through sentiment, but through ruthless efficiency."

"A man's influence is measured not by what he builds, but by what endures after he is gone."