Frederick W. Taylor

"The greatest waste in America is the waste of effort by not systematizing work."

"The principal object of management should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for the employee."

"In the past the man has been first; in the future the system must be first."

"Hardly anything can be more striking than the difference between the realities of production and the dreams of those managing the business."

"What workers want most is to know that they are doing the right thing in the right way."

"No gathering of American citizens can justly be called a success unless it serves the public good."

"The worker is the most important part of any business."

"An honest day's work for an honest day's pay."

"The science of handling pig iron is not a hypothesis or theory that must be built up in the minds of the pig-iron handlers themselves."

"I can say without the slightest hesitation that the true science of the management of men is along the lines of what we call functional foremanship."

"The man who calls himself my servant often proves to be a servant of interests very different from mine."

"One of the first requirements for a man who is fit to handle pig iron as a regular occupation is that he shall be so stupid and phlegmatic that he more nearly resembles in his mental make-up the ox than any other type."

"The world of the future will belong to the man who can organize human effort."

"Efficiency is doing the best possible with what one has."

"The average workman stands at a disadvantage when dealing with the manager or owner."

"The mental revolution constitutes a complete mental revolution on the part of the workingmen engaged in any particular establishment."

"There is nothing so rare as common sense."

"The systematic use of the rule of thumb will disappear, and in its place will be put the scientific method."

"The most important innovation I have made was in the industrial world."

"One of the most important things I have learned is to value time."

"Employ high-quality workers and allow them to perform their best work."

"The fundamental principles of scientific management are applicable to all human activities."

"Good management is a combination of applied psychology and pure mathematics."

"The worker is not in competition with his work."

"In many cases the workman deliberately restricts his output."

"I love work and I love men who work."

"The task of the manager is to apply scientific principles to the work of others."

"Success is not found in anything easy."

"Personal ambition must be placed second to the welfare of the greatest number."

"Every workman who is fit to do his work should have a chance to develop his abilities."