Lee Iacocca

“Management is nothing more than motivating other people.”

“We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”

“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.”

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

“In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.”

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

“There are times when even the best manager is like the little boy with the big dog, waiting to see where the dog wants to go so he can take him there.”

“No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?”

“One of the things the government can't do is run anything. The only things our government runs are the post office and the railroads, and both of them are bankrupt.”

“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.”

“In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product, and profits.”

“Every business and every product has risks. You can't get around it.”

“There is no substitute for accurate knowledge. Know yourself, know your business, know your men.”

“A guy named Charlie Beacham was my first mentor at Ford. He taught me the importance of the dealers, and he rubbed my nose in the retail business.”

“Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen.”

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

“We at Chrysler borrow money the old-fashioned way. We pay it back.”

“My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life.”

“Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people.”

“Talk to people in their own language. If you do it well, they'll say, 'God, he said exactly what I was thinking.' And when they begin to respect you, they'll follow you to the death.”