Elon Musk was born in 1971 in South Africa. This genius sold his first computer game at age 12. He is brave enough to discuss failures and wins. Musk is known for his SpaceX missions and is co-founder of Space X, Pay Pal and Tesla Motors.
Here are 21 quotes to inspire us all.
- A bright day: “If you get up in the morning and think the future is going to be better, it is a bright day. Otherwise, it’s not.”
- A good heart: “My biggest mistake is probably weighing too much on someone’s talent and not someone’s personality. I think it matters whether someone has a good heart.”
- Affecting the future: “I’m interested in things that change the world or that affect the future and wondrous, new technology where you see it, and you’re like, ‘Wow, how did that even happen? How is that possible?”
- Be realistic: “I always have optimism, but I’m realistic. It was not with the expectation of great success that I started Tesla or SpaceX. It’s just that I thought they were important enough to do anyway.”
- Consciousness: “I think we have a duty to maintain the light of consciousness to make sure it continues into the future.”
- Control: “It’s OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket.”
- Dare to be: “When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars, people said, ‘Nah, what’s wrong with a horse?’ That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.”
- Embrace change: “Some people don’t like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.”
- Failure: “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”
- Follow your passion: “People should pursue what they’re passionate about. That will make them happier than pretty much anything else.”
- From ordinary to extraordinary: “I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.”
- Get things done: “I don’t create companies for the sake of creating companies, but to get things done.”
- Invest in yourself: “I always invest my own money in the companies that I create. I don’t believe in the whole thing of just using other people’s money. I don’t think that’s right. I’m not going to ask people to invest in something if I’m not prepared to do so myself.”
- Keep them close: “It is a mistake to hire huge numbers of people to get a complicated job done. Numbers will never compensate for talent in getting the right answer (two people who don’t know something are no better than one), will tend to slow down progress, and will make the task incredibly expensive.”
- Know your goal: “People work better when they know their goal and why. It is important that people look forward to coming to work in the morning and enjoy working.”
- Mindset: “What makes innovative thinking happen? I think it’s really a mindset. You have to decide.”
- Negative feedback: “Really pay attention to negative feedback, and solicit it, particularly from friends. Hardly anyone does that, and it’s incredibly helpful.”
- Odds: “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.”
- Say something: “I say something, and then it usually happens. Maybe not on schedule, but it usually happens.”
- Take risks: “There’s a tremendous bias in taking risks. Everyone is trying to optimize their ass-covering.”
- Talent is important: “Talent is extremely important. It’s like a sports team, the team that has the best individual player will often win, but then there’s a multiplier from how those players work together and the strategy they employ.”
News Digest
Tamara “Tami” Patzer is the creator of the Authority Footprint Formula, creator/producer of Beyond of the Best Seller Marketing System, Host of Women Innovators Radio, and Contributing Writer at Small Business Trendsetters.