There isn't a flight goes by when I don't stare out of the window and thank my stars for what I'm seeing and feeling.
Richard BransonTaking bold climate action now has the potential to unleash the full power of business and at the same time lift millions of people out of poverty. We're the first generation to recognize this and the last generation that will have this opportunity.
Richard BransonEvery risk is worth taking as long as it's for a good cause, and contributes to a good life.
Richard BransonWith the casino and the beds, our passengers will have at least two ways to get lucky on one of our flights.
Richard BransonIn Syria, if [Bashar al-] Assad had just been a statesman and handed over the reigns in time, Syria would not be heading down the nightmare that it is today.
Richard BransonAbout 40 percent of my time is spent on social issues and building new organizations, more for the benefit of the climate or health issues.
Richard BransonThe first thing to look for when searching for a great employee is somebody with a personality that fits with your company culture. Most skills can be learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personality.
Richard BransonWe'll not be sending anyone into space before it is safe and the vehicle is well and truly tested.
Richard BransonI think the thing about capitalism is it's an evil necessity, capitalism. Communism has been tried and failed, and socialism, that doesn't work very well. Capitalism works, but the problem about capitalism is it does mean that a few individuals become very wealthy. Therefore, I think those individuals have enormous responsibility to redistribute that wealth either by creating new businesses or creating new jobs and making sure that money just doesn't lie in a bank account for future generations.
Richard BransonFree publicity and word of mouth is probably the best and cheapest form of advertising. Learn to use it to your advantage.
Richard BransonWe Experiment Endlessly, With New Products, New Methods, New Companies And New Marketing. A Successful Business The Emphasis Is On Experiment And Development, Ideas Are The Lifeblood Of Business.
Richard BransonIdeas Are The Lifeblood Of Business. Capture Every Fleeting Idea And Drive For Change.
Richard BransonMy parents brought me up with this philosophy. You must do things. You mustn't watch what other people are doing. You must not listen to what other people are doing.
Richard BransonIf you're bringing up kids, you just want to smother them with love and praise and enthusiasm. So I don't think you can mollycoddle your kids too much really.
Richard BransonOf course, a lot of businesses want to reach students, so I funded the magazine by selling advertising. I sold something like $8,000 worth of advertising for the first edition, and that was in 1966. I printed up 50,000 copies, and I didn't even have to charge for them on the newsstand because my costs were already covered.
Richard BransonYou shouldn't be looking for people slipping up, you should be looking for all the good things people do and praising those.
Richard BransonJust watching Israel bombarding Palestine and Palestine sending one or two little rockets over to Israel - it's just too sad for words.
Richard BransonVirgin could never have grown into the group of more than 200 companies it is now, were it not for a steady stream of intrapreneurs who looked for and developed opportunities, often leading efforts that went against the grain.
Richard BransonI had no plans to be an entrepreneur. I just wanted to be a journalist and write for a magazine. At 15, I just decided to leave school and launch a national student magazine.
Richard BransonIf people are jumping down people's throats all the time, in the end, they'll just shrivel up like a flower shrivels up that's not watered.
Richard BransonWe spend most of our lives working. So why do so few people have a good time doing it?
Richard BransonThe brands that will thrive in the coming years are the ones that have a purpose beyond profit.
Richard BransonDon't bother doing something unless you're radically different from the competition.
Richard BransonBusiness leaders take things far too seriously, and forget that most of the time people spend in their lives is at work, and it should be fun.
Richard BransonAnd ever since then [I] have set up businesses basically out of frustration. I mean, I set up Virgin Atlantic with one second-hand 747 because I hated the experience of flying on other people's airlines. And I thought, you know, I could try to create the kind of airline that I'd like to fly on. And people liked it.
Richard BransonBakers bake bread, accountants manage accounts and entrepreneurs turn ideas into reality.
Richard BransonBreaking the rules and challenging convention is in the DNA of every successful entrepreneur.
Richard BransonWhat we are trying to do at Virgin is not to have one enormous company in one sector under one banner, but to have two hundred or even three hundred separate companies. Each company can stand on its own feet and, in that way, although we've got a brand that links them, if we were to have another tragedy such as that of 11 September - which hurt the airline industry - it would not bring the whole group crashing down.
Richard Branson...making profits is important because it keeps all our people in jobs and, you know, it keeps what we - what we've created going, but, you know, what we're - what I get my - what I'm proud about doing is creating companies which we're really proud of, you know, which we can really be proud of and a byproduct of that hopefully will be that they'll be profitable and be able to pay the bills.
Richard BransonDon't think what's the cheapest way to do it or what's the fastest way to do it. Think what's the most amazing way to do it.
Richard BransonFirst of all, if you're setting up a new company, you want to try to find a brand that can work on a global basis.
Richard BransonSome 80% of your life is spent working. You want to have fun at home; why shouldn't you have fun at work?
Richard BransonAnd if after all this you eventually fail; don't take it personal. Don't be ashamed to start all over again.
Richard BransonI am impressed with just the enthusiasm for life and the fact that some of these people are in their 80's, even 90's, and they're absolutely determined to get out there and make a difference.
Richard Branson