People buy products for what they can do, not for what they are.

A real leader has the ability to motivate others to their highest level of achievement; then gives them the opportunity and the freedom to grow.

The ultimate compliment a customer can make to an organization about one of its marketing people is: "I'm not sure whether your sales rep works for me or for you."

. . . the world is filled with the kind of customers who deserve the care and attention I advocate, and I'd be willing to jump through hoops to win and keep them.

. . . top management should spend 40 to 50 percent of its time educating and motivating its people . . .

Sometimes the manager must perform with the courage and agility of a circus performer, carefully crossing the highwire between short-term problems and long-term objectives.

Leadership is the ability of a single individual through his or her actions to motivate others to higher levels of achievement.

IBM doesn't want its people to get frustrated and restless because it has them reaching for carrots they can't quit

While every body wants it, most don't want to give it.

First, there is the law. It must be obeyed. But the law is the minimum. You must act ethically.

We depend on you to do the right thing; right for both you and the company. It is no exaggeration to say that IBM's reputation is in your hands.

If we feel inwardly strong, we will have no need or desire to speak ill of others.

Each morning offers lessons in light. For the morning light teaches the most basic of truths: Light chases away darkness.

Youth is like a fickle girlfriend. We can't understand or value her until she goes off with someone else, never to return.

I grew up poor, but I didn't really know it because of amazing places like the Salvation Army where we got a lot of our Christmas presents from.

The foreigners come out here always to teach, whereas they had much better learn, for, in everything but wits and knowledge, the Arab is generally the better man of the two.

If you own something you cannot give away, then you don't own it, it owns you.

The life you have led doesn't need to be the only life you have.

New York's architecture alone is enough to inspire a whole album. In fact, that's what happened at first - my early stuff was mostly just interpretations of landscapes.

Don't get lost. Give it a try. Go find the place that you're wishing for.

Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.