Motivating Entrepreneur Quotes to Live By
September 24, 2022 6:00 AM EST
These entrepreneur quotes will help you better understand what it takes to be a successful business owner.
Share your favorite entrepreneur quotes with us in the comment section below.
What do you think of when you hear the word entrepreneur?
If you were a person living 20 years ago, you would probably think of someone who ran brick-and-mortar shops or someone who owned a large franchise.
Today, however, entrepreneurs can be people such as Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, or Derek Sivers, the creator of CD Baby.
You may think of an artist or freelance writer.
You may think of a person who designs apps or self-publishes books on Amazon.
The term “entrepreneur” is constantly evolving.
However, they will always have a few key traits.
They are creative, hard-working, intelligent, and ambitious.
Looking for some great entrepreneur quotes?
Consistent motivation provides them with fuel to keep going – even when things seem bleak.
Most had to go through hard times and various failures before getting to be where they are now.
That’s why they need a constant drive to do well.
Here is a collection of the best entrepreneur quotes to fill up those motivation tanks!
For more insights from successful entrepreneurs, be sure to check out these quotes from Grant Cardone.
Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.
Our inspirational quotes category page has all of our motivational quotes for all the different areas of life.
Inspirational entrepreneur quotes to help you keep going
1. “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda
You will also enjoy our article on consistency quotes.
2. “To any entrepreneur: if you want to do it, do it now. If you don’t, you’re going to regret it.” – Catherine Cook, co-founder of MyYearbook
3. “It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.” – Scott Belsky, co-founder of Behance
4. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game’s winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that’s why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
5. “There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.” – Jason Fried, founder of 37signal
6. “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” – Guy Kawasaki, American marketing specialist, author, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist
7. “If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.” – Mark Zuckerberg (see more Mark Zuckerberg quotes)
8. “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese proverb
9. “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” – Winston Churchill
10. “There’s lots of bad reasons to start a company. But there’s only one good, legitimate reason, and I think you know what it is: it’s to change the world.” – Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote
You will also enjoy our article on business motivational quotes.
Entrepreneur quotes to motivate you towards success
11. “The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.” – Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce
12. “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” – Vince Lombardi, head coach of the Green Bay Packers (1959-1967)
13. “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford
14. “If you’re not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business.” – Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s
15. “Watch, listen, and learn. You can’t know it all yourself. Anyone who thinks they do is destined for mediocrity.” – Donald Trump
16. “Always deliver more than expected.” —Larry Page, co-founder of Google
17. “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.” – Mark Twain
18. “You shouldn’t focus on why you can’t do something, which is what most people do. You should focus on why perhaps you can, and be one of the exceptions.” – Steve Case, co-founder of AOL
19. “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
20. “Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.” – Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of quotes by famous people to hear ideas from some of pop culture’s current stars.
Amazing entrepreneur quotes for the young entrepreneur
21. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” – Steve Jobs
22. “Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that.” – Anthony Volodkin, founder of HypeMachine
23. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney
24. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky, NHL Hall of Famer
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to check out our collection of Wayne Gretzky quotes that transcend hockey.
25. “Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.” – Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group
26. “When you cease to dream you cease to live.” – Malcolm Forbes, chairman and editor in chief of Forbes Magazine.
27. “Don’t worry about funding if you don’t need it. Today it’s cheaper to start a business than ever.”- Noah Everett, TwitPic app founder
28. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
29. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates
30. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
Powerful entrepreneur quotes from the legends
31. “Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice.” – Peter Drucker, management consultant, educator, and author
32. “In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.” – David Ogilvy, co-founder Ogilvy & Mather
33. “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” – Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder
34. “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” – Zig Ziglar
35. “Don’t try to be original, just try to be good.” —Paul Rand, art director and graphic designer
36. “I’m not afraid of dying, I’m afraid of not trying.” – Jay-Z, rapper
37. “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” – Dr. Napoleon Hill
38. “As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big.” – Donald Trump
39. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell
40. “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” – Bill Gates
More entrepreneur quotes and sayings
41. “Persistence. Perfection. Patience. Power. Prioritize your passion. It keeps you sane.” – Criss Jami
42. “The type of person you are is usually reflected in your business. To improve your business, first improve yourself.” – Idowu Koyenikan
43. “Money is always eager and ready to work for anyone who is ready to employ it.” – Idowu Koyenikan
44. “This defines entrepreneur and entrepreneurship – the entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.” – Peter F. Drucker
45. “Youngsters want to change the world. Elders want to enjoy their works. The entrepreneur sells anything needed by both to win their desires.” – Toba Beta
46. “Opportunists seek for a chance. Entrepreneurs make new chances.” – Toba Beta
47. “The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” – Nolan Bushnell
48. “Do you know great minds enjoy excellence, average minds love mediocrity and small minds adore comfort zones?” – Onyi Anyado
49. “To be successful, you have to be out there, you have to hit the ground running.” – Richard Branson
50. “Success in life is not for those who run fast, but for those who keep running and always on the move.” – Bangambiki Habyariman
Great Entrepreneurship Quotes To Motivate and Inspire Entrepreneurs
51. “Life is like the monkey bars: you have to let go to move forward. Once you make the decision to leap into entrepreneurship, be sure to loosen your grasp on old concepts so you can swing your way to new ones.” — Leah Busque
52. “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” —- Henry Ford
53. “If you push through that feeling of being scared, that feeling of taking a risk, really amazing things can happen.” — Marissa Mayer
54.”Dream big. Start small. But most of all, start.” — Simon Sinek
55. “If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore.” — Michelle Ruiz
56. “Don’t you dare underestimate the power of your own instinct.” — Barbara Ann Corcoran
57. “You never lose in business, either you win or you learn.” — Melinda Emerson
58. “If you’ve never tried, how will you ever know if there’s any chance?” — Jack M
59. “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” — Estee Lauder
60. “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
Entrepreneur Quotes To Learn From Past Failures
- “Being an # entrepreneur is not a get-rich scheme; it takes # strength of character to keep going.” — Robert Kiyosaki
- “What is our job as entrepreneurs if not to change things that are crazy?” — Bill Drayton
- “Entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a want to create.” — David Karp
- “The entrepreneur shifts economic resources out of an area of lower and into an area of higher productivity and greater yield.” — Jean-Baptiste Say
- “A savvy entrepreneur will not always look for investment money, first.” — Daymond John
- “Past success is no guarantee of future success, so I have learned to be an entrepreneur. I began to produce and direct my own projects.” — Ian Ziering
- “I have had some great successes and great failures. I think every entrepreneur has. I try to learn from all of them.” — Kevin O’Leary
- “Entrepreneurs are great at dealing with uncertainty and also very good at minimizing risk. That’s the classic great entrepreneur.” — Mohnish Pabrai
- “I’d rather invest in an entrepreneur who has failed before than one who assumes success from day one.” — Kevin O’Leary
- “Entrepreneurs with disabilities are overwhelmingly successful.” — David Brenner
Were you able to relate to any of these entrepreneur quotes?
It’s a tough job being an entrepreneur—and some days, you just feel alone.
Hopefully, these entrepreneur quotes were able to snap you back to reality.
This is an exciting time to be an entrepreneur.
There’s never been a better moment to start a venture.
However, the competition is fierce – so it’s important that you have consistent motivation.
Now go out there and start a business!