Thomas J. Watson Sr.

"Time is the most valuable asset you have."

"Your character is your destiny."

"The question is not whether you will succeed, but whether you will give your best effort."

"If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride—and never quit—you'll be a winner."

"Spend a lot of time talking to customers face to face. You'll learn things you never would otherwise."

"Business is never so healthy as when, like a chicken, it must do a certain amount of scratching around for what it gets to eat."

"The race is not to the swift, but to those who keep on running."

"You must have confidence in your abilities, or you'll never be able to be successful."

"The enterprise that does not experiment will eventually lose."

"Nothing is more important than being true to yourself."

"Good design is good business."

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."

"To be a success, first you must believe in yourself."

"The genius of our institutions is democratic capitalism."

"Everybody has problems and everybody has the same chance to solve them."

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

"The computer programmer is a creator of universes for which he alone is the lawgiver."

"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business."

"You cannot achieve anything without hard work."

"The future is in the hands of those who can imagine it better than it is today."

"Optimism is the foundation of courage."

"The greatest leaders are those who serve others."

"Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground."

"Success comes from good judgment. Good judgment comes from experience."

"The trouble with the future is that it usually arrives before we're ready for it."

"If I had to choose between two equally qualified people, I would pick the one with the better character."

"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said."

"A great leader must listen before they can lead."

"Never give up on your dreams, no matter how big they may seem."

"The key to success is not what you do, but how you do it."