Harvey Mackay Quotes

You don't have to know everything as long as you know people who know the things you don't

Like it or not, life is a series of competitions. You may be competing for a grade, a spot on a team, a job, or the largest account in town. The higher your self-esteem is, the better you get along with yourself, with others, and the more you'll accomplish.

To me, job titles don't matter. Everyone is in sales. It's the only way we stay in business.

Are you worried about pressure? I look at it this way: Pressure is having to do something you are not totally prepared to do.

Keep the customer actively involved throughout your presentation, and watch your results improve.

None of us got to where we are alone. Whether the assistance we received was obvious or subtle, acknowledging someone's help is a big part of understanding the importance of saying thank you.

If you can't say yes, it's no. Don't sugarcoat it. Don't talk yourself into yes just to seem like a nice guy. No one ever went broke because he or she said "NO" too often.

My Golden Rule of Networking is simple: Don't keep score.

Make your decisions with your heart, and you'll end up with heart disease.

Your day usually goes the way the corners of your mouth turn. The most powerful single thing you can do to influence others is to smile at them.

Even when change is elective, it will disorient you. You may go through anxiety. You will miss aspects of your former life. It doesn't matter. The trick is to know in advance of making any big change that you're going to be thrown off your feet by it. So you prepare for this inevitable disorientation and steady yourself to get through it. Then you take the challenge, make the change, and achieve your dream.

Surrounding yourself with creative, imaginative people is a good strategy for success whether you're an entrepreneur seeking innovation or an artist looking for inspiration.

Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better.

Decide what your priorities are and how much time you'll spend on them. If you don't, someone else will.

Worrying about the past or the future isn't productive. When you start chastising yourself for past mistakes, or seeing disaster around every corner, stop and take a breath and ask yourself what you can do right now to succeed.

Anyone too busy to say thank you will get fewer and fewer chances to say it.

our lives change in two ways :through the people we meet and the books we read

Pale ink is better than the most retentive memory.

Never buy anything in a room with a chandelier.

The employees who share innovative ideas may also be the folks who have some hidden talents that would help incorporate their suggestions.

Your past is not your potential.

I have ten marathons under my belt, including four New York races and one Boston.

I believe that visualization is one of the most powerful means of achieving personal goals.

You can't buy a good reputation; you must earn it.

We start out as pretty creative beings... Children let their imaginations take them to place they've never seen and do things that seem impossible. We encourage it as fun and playtime, but we should celebrate it as the potential for great discovery and accomplishment.

Deep down inside of all of us is the power to accomplish what we want to, if we'll just stop looking elsewhere.

One sure-fire way to stay creative: force yourself to learn something new.

Don't water your weeds.

It doesn't matter if they say you can't do it. It only matters if you say you can't.

By my count, more business leaders have failed and derailed because of arrogance than any other character flaw.

Too often, sales reps simply regurgitate their presentations and expect to land the sale. It doesn't work.

Once you attach your personality to a proposition, people start reacting to the personality and stop reacting to the proposition.

When you have a dream that you can't let go of, trust your instincts and pursue it. But remember: Real dreams take work, They take patience, and sometimes they require you to dig down very deep. Be sure you're willing to do that.

It's only lonely at the top if you forget all the people you met along the way and fail to acknowledge their contributions to your success.

Delegating doesn't mean passing off work you don't enjoy, but letting your employees stretch their skills and judgment.

Failure is no more fatal than success is permanent.

A student of life considers the world a classroom.

You're a lot better off being scared than being bored.

The cost of praising someone is nil - but every psychological study shows the payoff is huge.

You can't hurry creativity, so take time to ponder your ideas. Sit back and take time to think things over. That's usually how the best ideas bloom.

Failure is an attitude, not an outcome.

Day in and day out, your tax accountant can make or lose you more money than any single person in your life, with the possible exception of your kids

Winners surround themselves with other winners. A winner knows he's a winner. He doesn't need second-raters and yes-men around to feed his ego. He knows he'll win more, and go further, with associates who not only can keep up with him but who also are capable of teaching him something.