98 Entrepreneur Quotes To Inspire Your Own Success

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Finding motivation can be hard, especially for entrepreneurs. It takes a lot of grit and determination to build something from the ground up and make it successful.

Most successful entrepreneurs know that the road can be lonely and it can be filled with a lot of failure before finding what really works.

Others don’t always understand your path, so it can help to hear some entrepreneur quotes from others who have walked that path.

Quotes from entrepreneurs who have been there before you can provide invaluable insight into what success looks like as well as guidance on how to get there.

Sometimes, your mindset makes all the difference.

Here are 95 quotes for entrepreneurs that will help you stay motivated while pursuing your own success:

95 Entrepreneurship Quotes to Inspire You

A true entrepreneur doesn’t let anything get in their way. The biggest motivation often comes from within yourself.

Motivating Quotes for Entrepreneurs

Whether you’re trying to start a successful business or push past your current obstacles, these quotes should help.

1. “Successful entrepreneurship starts with believing in yourself and your vision.” – Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx

2. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney, Founder of Disney

3. “The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now.” – Nolan Bushnell, American Businessman and Electrical Engineer

4. “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” – Mae Jemison, American Engineer, Physician, and Former NASA Astronaut

5. “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein, Nobel Prize in Physics recipient

6. “If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” – Dharmesh Shah, Co-Founder of Hubspot

7. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney, Founder of Disney

8. “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” – Beverly Sills, American Soprano Singer

9. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer, Theologian, Writer, Humanitarian, Philosopher, and Physician

10. “The key to success is action, and the essential in action is perseverance.” – Sun Yat-Sen, Chinese Statesman, Physician, and Political Philosopher

Entrepreneurship Quotes About Hard Work

The only way to achieve success is through hard work and dedication. As the saying goes, “nothing worth having comes easy.”

11. “I never dreamed about success; I worked for it.” – Estée Lauder, Co-Founder of Estée Lauder

12. “Ideas are easy; implementation is hard.” – Guy Kawasaki, American Marketing Specialist, Author, and Venture Capitalist

13. “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” – Reid Hoffman, Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist, and Author

14. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison, American Inventor and Businessman

15. “Success doesn’t necessarily come from breakthrough innovation but from flawless execution.” – Naveen Jain, Founder of InfoSpace

16. “Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn, Motivational Speaker and Author

17. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon, Founder of Vidal Sassoon

18. “Success is not application of a formula, but the result of hard work and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell, American Politician and Former Secretary of State

19. “Successful people keep moving; they make mistakes but never quit.” – Conrad Hilton, Founder of Hilton Hotels

20. “The path to success is paved with persistence and hard work.” – Arianna Huffington, Co-Founder of Huffington Post

Entrepreneurship Quotes About Character

It takes strong character to achieve success. Having good character traits such as honesty, integrity, and determination can help entrepreneurs stay motivated to achieve their dreams.

21. “Success is not what you have, but who you are.” – Bo Bennet, Entrepreneur and Author

22. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” – Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

23. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft

24. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple Inc.

25. “There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.” – Jason Fried

26. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

27. “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” – Bruce Lee

28. “Successful entrepreneurs have an unquenchable passion for their business and a strong desire to succeed.” – Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group

29. “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” – Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx

30. “Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” – Michelle Obama

31. “Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions.” – Mark Cuban, Owner of the Dallas Mavericks

32. “We led with our conviction rather than rational because rational said it was impossible.” – Daniel Ek, Co-Rounder of Spotify

Quotes About Courage in Entrepreneurship

Failure is a part of life, particularly when it comes to running a business. It’s normal to feel disappointment and fear during these times, but it takes courage to push past failures and keep striving for success.

33. “I believe that the only courage anybody ever needs is the courage to follow your own dreams.” – Oprah Winfrey, American Talk Show Host and TV Producer

34. “The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well.” – John D. Rockefeller, Oil Magnate, and Philanthropist

35. “Your success depends mainly upon what you think of yourself and whether you believe in yourself.” – William J. H. Boetcker, Religious Leader and Influential Public Speaker

36. “Successful entrepreneurs are not afraid to take risks and think outside the box.” – Elon Musk, Founder and CEO of SpaceX

37. “Don’t be afraid of failure; use it to your advantage.” – Mark Zuckerberg, Co-Founder of Facebook

38. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, Former U.S. President

39. “The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear.” – Brian Tracy, Canadian-American Author and Speaker

40. “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” – Napoleon Hill, Author of Think and Grow Rich

41. “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart, American Aviation Pioneer

42. “You have to be willing to take risks and not be afraid of the possibility of failure in order to succeed.” – Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple Inc.

Entrepreneur Mindset Quotes

Having a positive mindset is an essential part of success in any field—especially entrepreneurship. Here are some quotes to motivate and inspire you in your own business.

43. “Successful entrepreneurs see opportunities instead of obstacles.” – Mark Cuban, Investor and Owner of the Dallas Mavericks

44. “The secret to successful entrepreneurship is having a growth mindset: no matter how much you know, there’s always something new to learn and do better.” – Guy Kawasaki

45. “The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.” – Peter Drucker, Austrian-American Management Consultant and Author

46. “It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.” – Scott Belsky, CEO of Behance

47. “The successful entrepreneur has the ability to take calculated risks, innovate and think outside the box.” – Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple Inc.

48. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky, Former NHL Player

49. “Successful entrepreneurs have the courage to believe in themselves and their ideas, even when other people doubt them.” – Jack Ma, Co-Founder of Alibaba

50. “Whatever you do, don’t play it safe. Don’t do things the way they’ve always been done. Don’t try to fit the system. If you do what’s expected of you, you’ll never accomplish more than others expect.” – Howard Schultz, Former CEO of Starbucks

51. “Entrepreneurs are driven by passion, not money.” – Elon Musk, Founder and CEO of SpaceX

52. “Successful entrepreneurs know that the only limits are the ones they place on themselves.” – Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft

53. “The most valuable asset you have is your mind and what you put into it.” – Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

54. “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes — understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” – Arianna Huffington, Co-Founder of The Huffington Post

Creative Entrepreneur Quotes

Creativity is an essential ingredient for success, and some of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs have shared their insights on how important creativity is to achieving success.

55. “A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” – Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group

56. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker, Austrian-American Management Consultant and Author

57. “One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you.” – Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon

58. “An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off a cliff and builds a plane on the way down.” – Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn

59. “Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden, American Basketball Coach and Player

60. “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” – Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn

61. “Successful entrepreneurs solve problems with creative solutions.” – Mark Zuckerberg, Co-founder of Facebook

62. “It’s not about money or connections—it’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone when it comes to your business.” – Mark Cuban, Investor and Owner of the Dallas Mavericks

63. “The golden rule for every businessman is this: Put yourself in your customer’s place.” – Orison Swett Marden, Author

64. “The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake—you can’t learn anything from being perfect.” – Adam Osborne, Founder of Osborne Computers

65. “If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.” – Jack Welch, Former Chairman and CEO of General Electric

66. If we tried to think of a good idea, we wouldn’t have been able to think of a good idea. You just have to find the solution for a problem in your own life.” – Brian Chesky, co-founder of Airbnb

Entrepreneur Quotes About Leadership

Leaders have been inspiring us for centuries, and their words often stay with us long after they said them. Here are some powerful quotes from leaders of the present and past.

67. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” – Warren Bennis, American Scholar and Author

68. “I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.” – Virginia Rometty, Former President and CEO of IBM

69. “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” – Lao Tzu, Chinese Taoist Philosopher

70. “Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” – John C. Maxwell, American Author and Speaker

71. “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant.” – Jim Rohn, Motivational Speaker and Author

72. “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” – Rosalynn Carter, American Writer and Activist

73. “Leadership is more than just being in charge. It’s about taking charge and taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek, American Author and Inspirational Speaker

74. “As a leader, it’s a major responsibility on your shoulders to practice what you preach.” – Ratan Tata, Indian Industrialist and Philanthropist

75. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” – Sheryl Sandberg, Business Executive and Former CEO of Meta Platforms

76. “The secret to successful hiring is this: Look for the people who want to change the world.” – Marc Benioff, Founder and CEO of Salesforce

Powerful Business Mindset Quotes

These quotes will help inspire, motivate, and encourage success, as well as provide wisdom for difficult times.

77. “Always deliver more than expected.” – Larry Page, American Entrepreneur and Computer Scientist

78. “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister From 1940-1945

79. “Successful entrepreneurs don’t just see problems — they see opportunities.” – Mark Cuban, Investor and Owner of the Dallas Mavericks

80. “I’m not afraid of failing. I’m afraid of succeeding at something that doesn’t matter.” – Bono, Irish Singer-Songwriter in U2

81. “Success isn’t about the end result, it’s about what you learn along the way.” – Sheryl Sandberg, Business Executive and Former CEO of Meta Platforms

82. “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” – Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple Inc.

83. “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” – Unknown

84. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell, American Author and Speaker

85. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller, Oil Magnate, and Philanthropist

86. “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” – Kenneth Blanchard, Author and Management Expert

87. “The most dangerous poison is the feeling of achievement. The antidote is to every evening think what can be done better tomorrow.” – Ingvar Kamprad, Founder of IKEA

88. “As a founder, lay all the possible scenarios — from best to worst — in front of you, so you don’t get surprised when something happens.” – Brian Wong, Co-Founder of Kiip

Entrepreneurship Quotes About Perseverance

Perseverance is the determination to continue despite setbacks and challenges and is often what sets entrepreneurs apart from those who give up when the going gets tough.

89. “If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.” – Jesse Jackson, American Political Activist and Minister

90. “There’s this joy that comes from sitting down to solve a problem and standing up when it’s done and good. Building a company or managing people is never just done.” – Drew Houston, Co-Founder and CEO of Dropbox

91. “Success is not obtained overnight. It comes in installments; you get a little bit today, a little bit tomorrow until the whole package is given out. The day you procrastinate, you lose that day’s success.” – Israelmore Ayivor, Youth Leadership Coach and Entrepreneur

92. “Success is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” – Colin Powell, American Politician and Former Secretary of State

93. “As a CEO, I am finding that I have to become a learning CEO. I have to go to school all the time because I am learning new skills that I need to run this company and I am realizing that I am not equipped to just coast. I have to constantly renew my skills.” – Indra Nooyi, Former CEO of Pepsi

94. “If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar, Motivational Speaker

95. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela, Apartheid Activist and Former President of South Africa

96. “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister From 1940-1945

97. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” – Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple Inc.

98. “Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” – Julie Andrews, English Actress, Singer, and Author

FAQs About Entrepreneur Quotes

What is the motto of an entrepreneur?

A good example of a motto of an entrepreneur is “work hard, stay focused, and never give up.” It emphasizes the importance of dedication and perseverance in order to achieve success. Entrepreneurs are driven, innovative individuals who are willing to take risks and seek out opportunities in order to create something new or solve a problem.

What makes a good entrepreneur quote?

Good entrepreneur quotes are inspiring, thought-provoking, and meaningful. They provide insight into the mindset of entrepreneurs who have been successful, providing motivation to persevere in the face of challenges. Good entrepreneur quotes can be humorous, inspirational, or wise and should be shared with colleagues and peers to help foster a culture of growth and ambition. Examples of popular entrepreneur quotes include: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” (Walt Disney) and “If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs” (Dhirubhai Ambani).

What are the best business quotes?

The best business quotes come from some of the most successful people in the world. Some great examples include: “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” – Henry Ford, and “If you don’t drive your business, you will be driven out of business.” – B. C. Forbes

What is a positive quote for a business owner?

“The key to success is to focus on goals, not obstacles.” This positive quote emphasizes the importance of staying focused and motivated in order to achieve success as a business owner. It also reminds us that no matter how hard something may seem, it’s important to stay driven and motivated, and not to be discouraged by any obstacles that may arise.

Key Takeaways: Entrepreneurship Quotes

We hope that these quotes from entrepreneurs and other successful people will help you stay focused and motivated on your journey.

Here are a few helpful reminders of what being successful is all about.

Successful people have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish and the dedication and confidence to make it happen.
Hard work is essential, but working smarter is important too – find ways to be efficient and maximize your efforts.
Taking risks is a part of the game if you want to be successful – don’t let fear hold you back from going after your goals.
Surround yourself with positive people who can help lift you up when you need it most.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself, as entrepreneurship can be mentally and physically draining at times – stay rested and healthy for optimal success!
Believe in yourself and never give up. The best entrepreneurs know that success comes from persisting even in the face of adversity.

These quotes remind us that entrepreneurship is a long and difficult journey, but one that can be incredibly rewarding if we stay focused and motivated.

By taking risks, working hard, and believing in yourself, you can make your dreams of running a successful business a reality.

Don’t forget to celebrate success along the way.