Cornelius Vanderbilt

"The future belongs to those who seize it, not those who merely observe it."

"Every transaction is a test of character."

"I do not fear competition; I welcome the opportunity to prove my superiority."

"Wealth is not an end; it is merely the means to greater power and influence."

"The man who saves his money is the man who saves his soul."

"I have never invested in a dream without first examining the facts."

"Impatience has ruined more fortunes than any market collapse."

"The strongest monopoly is the one that serves the public interest."

"I respect hard work in any man, regardless of his station."

"The empire of commerce is built upon the foundation of trust."

"A man's word is his bond; without it, he has nothing."

"I have survived every crisis by remembering that this too shall pass."

"The greatest teacher is not a book but the market itself."

"Those who cannot adapt to change are destined to become relics."

"I measure a man not by his intentions, but by his results."

"Fortune favors the bold, but only if the bold are also wise."

"The accumulation of wealth is a science; the distribution of it is an art."

"I have learned that the best investment is always in human capital."

"The man who cannot make decisions is not fit to lead."

"I do not apologize for my ambitions; I apologize only for not achieving them faster."

"Every great fortune contains within it the seeds of its own destruction or renewal."

"The railroad has taught me that progress requires sacrifice."

"I have never met a problem that could not be solved with sufficient capital and determination."

"The man who seeks approval from others is the man who will never succeed."

"Commerce is warfare by other means, and I am a general in that war."

"I respect only those who have built something from nothing."

"The secret to my success is that I never stop asking questions."

"A man's children are his greatest investment and his greatest risk."

"I have found that competition brings out either the best or the worst in a man."

"The future is not something that happens to us; it is something we create."