Lee Iacocca Quotes

I always go back to Harry Truman: Should we drop an atomic bomb to save 100,000 lives? That's a hell of a decision to make. Did he make that decision by himself? No, he had advisers.

It's a good thing god doesn't let you look a year or two into the future, or you might be sorely tempted to shoot yourself.

In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.

Leadership means setting an example. When you find yourself in a position of leadership, people follow your every move.

Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate with your employees, motivate them and reward them. If you do all those things effectively, you can't miss.

Bad times are indelible. They stay with you forever.

The kind of people I look for to fill top management spots are the eager beavers, the mavericks. These are the guys who try to do more than they're expected to do - they always reach.

If we wait until we've satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.

I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it.

Most people are looking for security, a nice, safe, prosperous future. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's called the American Dream.

When future historians look back on our way of curing inflation...they'll probably compare it to bloodletting in the Middle Ages.

You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere.

I was good friends with Frank Sinatra, I heard Steve Kaufman painting his portrait, so I asked Steve to paint my portrait.

Don’t just stand there; make something happen.

If you make believe that ten guys in pin-striped suits are back in a kindergarten class playing with building blocks, you'll get a rough picture of what life in a corporation is like.

Your legacy should be that you made it better than it was when you got it.

I've got to get stop getting fired like this. People will start to think I'm a drifter.

There's no great mystery to satisfying your customers. Build them a quality product and treat them with respect. It's that simple.

The one word that makes a good manager - decisiveness.

Styling cars sells cars and safety does not.

Are we going to be a services power? The double-cheeseburger-hold-the-mayo kings of the world?

I learned about the strength you can get from a close family life. I learned to keep going, even in bad times. I learned not to despair, even when my world was falling apart. I learned that there are no free lunches. And I learned the value of hard work.

The ability to concentrate and to use time well is everything.

I'm still not sure what is meant by good fortune and success. I know fame and power are for the birds. But then life suddenly comes into focus for me. And, ah, there stand my kids.

In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have.

The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works, is the family.

The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.

What is it that you like doing? If you don't like it, get out of it, because you'll be lousy at it.