Richard Branson is an international entrepreneur, adventurer, and one of the richest men in the world. He’s the founder of Virgin Group, which currently comprises of over 400 different companies, and he’s the author of over 12 different books, with some of them becoming international best-sellers like Losing My Virginity and Screw It, Let’s Do It.
But Branson’s not just an accomplished businessman, he’s also an inspiring human being, and an icon of possibility. Due to poor academic performance caused by his dyslexia, Branson ended up dropping out of school at the age of 16, and eventually became a squatter for a short period of time. Fortunately, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps, tried his hand a few businesses, and kept trying until one of them hit. And since that initial success, he’s has yet to look back. Indeed, Branson has shown the world that he knows a thing or two about success, business, and life. So, we aim to share a bit of his wisdom with you with this inspiring collection of Richard Branson quotes.
Best Richard Branson Quotes
1. As some wise person once said, ‘Life is not a dress rehearsal.’ This is it! So unless you plan to give it a better shot in your next life — assuming you are lucky enough to get a second chance — then why risk wasting any of your limited time on this earth doing stuff that doesn’t light your fire?” – Richard Branson
2. “The best advice I could give anyone is to spend your time working on whatever you are passionate about in life.” – Richard Branson
3. “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes — then learn how to do it later.” – Richard Branson
4. “Learn from failure. If you are an entrepreneur and your first venture wasn’t a success, welcome to the club.” – Richard Branson
5. “Respect is how to treat everyone, not just those you want to impress.” – Richard Branson
6. “Life is a series of ups and downs. Make it worth your wild!” – Richard Branson
7. “You don’t learn to walk by following the rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”
8. “There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions — in a way that serves the world and you.” – Richard Branson
9. “Whatever your goal is you will never succeed unless you let go of your fears and fly.” – Richard Branson
10. “The best way of learning about anything is by doing.” – Richard Branson
Extremely Inspiring Quotes By Richard Branson
The previous section consisted of the most famous Richard Branson quotes, so chances are you may have already heard or read some of them. However, this next section consists of some of the most inspiring Richard Branson quotes, that you may have never heard of before.
No doubt, these next Branson quotes will both inspire and motivate you, so enjoy
11. “Life is a hell of a lot more fun if you sayyesrather thanno.” – Richard Branson
12. “Spend more time smiling than frowning and more time praising than criticizing.” – Richard Branson
13. “I don’t think of work as work and play as play. It’s all living.” – Richard Branson
14. “As soon as something stops being fun, I think it’s time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy. Waking up stressed and miserable is not a good way to live.” – Richard Branson
15. “You’re guaranteed to miss every shot you don’t take.” – Richard Branson
16. “Take a chance. It’s the best way to test yourself. Have fun and push boundaries.” – Richard Branson
17. “Take the competition seriously, but not yourself.” – Richard Branson
18. “If you opt for a safe life, you will never know what it’s like to win.” – Richard Branson
19. “I can’t change the world by myself… but it does take somebody to start.” – Richard Branson
20. “If your dreams don’t scare you they are too small.” – Richard Branson
Related: Go For Your Dreams Quotes
21. “Stick your neck out…it’s a lot more fun than sitting at home and watching other people do it.” – Richard Branson
22. “The best lesson I learned was to just do it. It doesn’t matter what it is, or how hard it might seem, as the ancient Greek, Plato, said, ‘The beginning is the most important part of any work.” – Richard Branson
23. “Don’t become a slave to technology – manage your phone, don’t let it manage you.” – Richard Branson
24. “You can call it what you like, luck, good fortune, coincidence, serendipity, right place at the right time, or even ‘hard work’, but I think no one has defined this mysterious element any better than Roman Philosopher Seneca who some two thousand years ago said, ‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.'” – Richard Branson
25. “If you spot an opportunity and are really excited by it, throw yourself into it with everything you’ve got.” – Richard Branson
26. “Finding the spotlight isn’t about standing in it. There’s so much to be gained from working with people who support each other to achieve great things.” – Richard Branson
27. “We spend most of our waking lives at work, so it’s important that we do what we love and love what we do.” – Richard Branson
28. “If your eyes are fixed on the rear-view mirror, you’ll miss that important turn coming up.” – Richard Branson
29. “Life is all about striving and growing. I never want to have made it; I want to continue making it!” – Richard Branson
30. “There can be no greatness without striving.” – Richard Branson
31. “How slim the line is between genius and insanity and between determination and stubbornness.” – Richard Branson
32. “I think if you believe in what you’re doing, many people will tell you why you’re mistaken or why it will never work. But if you really believe passionately in what you’re doing just keep going, keep pushing, keep pushing on until you either succeed or at least you realize that it’s just not going to happen. And then if you don’t succeed, pick yourself up and try again. And ultimately, if you’re that determined, you’ll succeed in life, and if you don’t, you’ll have a lot of fun trying.” – Richard Branson
33. “I think as just being a generally positive person, you can make positive things happen.”
34. “My family brought me up to always look for the best in other people. I love people, I love spending time with people, I love learning from people.” – Richard Branson
35. “Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people that they associate with. In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are.” – Richard Branson
36. “Never go into business purely to make money. If that’s the motive, you’re better off doing nothing.” – Richard Branson
37. “Once a changemaker, always a changemaker but only a few swim against the tide.” – Richard Branson
38. “Developing mental toughness isn’t just about being resilient – it’s about accessing your reserve tank when you think you just can’t go any further.” – Richard Branson
39. “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a ride!” – Richard Branson
40. “Hard-won things are more valuable than those that come too easily.” – Richard Branson
Richard Branson Insights on Business Success & Entrepreneurship
Alright, if you’re looking for some of Richard Branson’s most pragmatic set of quotes when it comes to business and entrepreneurship, then you’ll love this next section.
So, if you’re looking for some business or entrepreneur advice from one of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, then you’ll want to pay attention to these Richard Branson business quotes.
41. “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” – Richard Branson
42. “Happiness is the secret ingredient for successful businesses. If you have a happy company it will be invincible.” – Richard Branson
43. The key is to set realistic customer expectations, and then not to just meet them, but to exceed them — preferably in unexpected and helpful ways.” – Richard Branson
44. “Embedding purpose into your business will help it to stand out, and align it with customers who have the same values.” – Richard Branson
45. “If you don’t have time for the small things, you won’t have time for the big things.” – Richard Branson
46. “To me, business isn’t about wearing suits or pleasing stockholders. It’s about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials.” – Richard Branson
47. “Throughout the more than 40 years Virgin has been in business we have been continuously striving – striving to deliver wonderful products and services, striving to make a positive difference, striving to change people’s life for the better. Had we not kept striving, we certainly wouldn’t be where we are today.” – Richard Branson
48. “Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to keep things simple.” – Richard Branson
49. “Entrepreneurial business favors the open mind. It favors people whose optimism drives them to prepare for many possible futures, pretty much purely for the joy of doing so.” – Richard Branson
50. “The brave may not live forever – But the cautious do not live at all” – Richard Branson
51. “The time to go into a new business is when it’s badly run by others.” – Richard Branson
52. “Overcoming fear is the first step to success for entrepreneurs. The winners all exemplify that, and the hard work and commitment they have shown underlines what is needed to set up a business.” – Richard Branson
53. “To launch a business means successfully solving problems. Solving problems means listening.” – Richard Branson
54. “To be successful you have to be out there, you have to hit the ground running.” – Richard Branson
55. “One thing is certain in business. You and everyone around you will make mistakes.” – Richard Branson
56. “My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them.” – Richard Branson
57. “Most people would assume my business success, and the wealth that comes with it, have brought me happiness. But I know I am successful, wealthy, and connected because I am happy.” – Richard Branson
58. “Entrepreneurship is about turning what excites you in life into capital so that you can do more if it and move forward with it.” – Richard Branson
59. “From my very first day as an entrepreneur, I’ve felt the only mission worth pursuing in business is to make people’s lives better.” – Richard Branson
60. “A business is simply an idea to make other people’s lives better.” – Richard Branson
61. “If I had to give one reason why I have been fortunate enough to experience some success, it would be my knack of bringing together wonderful people.” – Richard Branson
62. “Chance favors the prepared mind. The more you practice, the luckier you become.” – Richard Branson
63. “All you have in business is your reputation – so it’s very important that you keep your word.” – Richard Branson
64. “Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you, give them everything they need to grow, and your business will thrive.” – Richard Branson
65. “The most important skills to learn to be successful are people skills.” – Richard Branson
66. “I have always believed that the only way to cope with a cash crisis is not to contract but to try to expand out of it.” – Richard Branson
67. “In business, if you realize you’ve made a bad decision, you change it.” – Richard Branson
68. “To become an entrepreneur is not easy, and a lot of people who try to become entrepreneurs they fail along the way. But the good ones pick themselves up and try again and try again until they succeed.” – Richard Branson
69. “If you want swashbuckling action in your life, become an entrepreneur and give it a go.” – Richard Branson
70. “Business isn’t about ties, suits and briefcases. It’s about adventure.” – Richard Branson
Related: Millionaire Fastlane Quotes
Richard Branson Quotes About Employees
Richard Branson has provided lots of advice to many CEO’s across the world on how to go about creating a world-class organization, and one of his biggest and best secrets of how execute on such a goal has been to focus on employee satisfaction.
With that being said, here are some of the best Richard Branson quotes about employees, and how they should be regarded to create a superior business. Enjoy.
71. “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” – Richard Branson
72. “Put your staff first, your customers second and your shareholders third.” – Richard Branson
73. “A company is people. Employees want to know — am I being listened to or am I a cog in the wheel? People really need to fee wanted.” – Richard Branson
74. “The 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 Branson
75. “The art of delegation is one of the key skills any entrepreneur must master.” – Richard Branson
76. “There is no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated.” – Richard Branson
77. “If you look for the best in your employees, they’ll flourish. If you criticize or look for the worst, they’ll shrivel up. We all need lots of watering.” – Richard Branson
78. “Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” – Richard Branson
79. “Through the right people focusing on the right things, we can, in time, get on top of a lot if not most problems of this world. And that’s what a number of us are trying to do.” – Richard Branson
80. “Learn to look after your staff first and the rest will follow.” – Richard Branson
81. “Loyal employees in any company create loyal customers, who in turn create happy shareholders.” – Richard Branson
82. “Your company should act as a springboard for ambitious employees, not a set of shackles.” – Richard Branson
83. “I believe that, above all else, my hard-wired passion — some call it obsession — for consistently giving our customers, both internal and external, a better work environment or service experience than they can find anywhere else is what’s at the very heart of everything tat I, and by extension the Virgin brand, stands for.” – Richard Branson
84. “Starting your own business isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life.” – Richard Branson
85. “It’s a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur’s metric for success. It’s not, and nor should it be.” – Richard Branson
Richard Branson on Leadership
It has been said that leadership is the ability of an individual to influence and guide followers or members of an organization. It has also been said that leadership is the challenge to be something more than average, and we believe these Richard Branson leadership quotes will show that he’s lived up to both standards.
86. “If you motivate people, if you praise people, if you don’t criticize people, these are all the skills needed to be a great leader.” – Richard Branson
87. “I like to take chances on people, and whenever possible, promote from within — It sends a great message to everyone in the company when someone demonstrates a passion for the job and leadership skills at every step along the way is rewarded with a leadership role.” – Richard Branson
88. “Just as seniority is usually just a measure of tenure and has specific linkage to contribution, unfortunately titles have no true bearing on anyone’s true ability to lead.” – Richard Branson
89. “Good leadership is by definition all about taking the venture forward and finding viable new avenues where the business can evolve and prosper. Poor leadership, on the other hand, typically tends to be static, much more about protecting the status quo and, if there any around, resting on laurels.” – Richard Branson
90. “Don’t be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them.” – Richard Branson
91. “I believe that “luck” is one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated factors in life. Those people and businesses that are generally considered fortunate or luckier than others are usually also the ones that are prepared to take the greatest risks and , by association, are also prepared to fall flat on their faces.” – Richard Branson
92. “I firmly believe that smart leaders and clever entrepreneurs have the knack of engineering their luck — it’s also known as risk-taking.” – Richard Branson
93. “I should perhaps make it clear that I am not a big fan of meeting-for-the-sake-of-meetings-based cultures as, somewhat paradoxically, I have found that a prime reason for poor communications can often be that there are simply too many meetings.” – Richard Branson
94. “Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line.” – Richard Branson
95. “Don’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 Branson
96. “Fun is one of the most important – and underrated – ingredients in any successful venture. If you’re not having fun, then it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else.” – Richard Branson
97. “My general attitude to life is to enjoy every minute of everyday. I never do anything with a feeling of, “Oh God, I’ve got to do this today.” – Richard Branson
98. “Material things are delightful, but they’re not important.” – Richard Branson
99. “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.” – Richard Branson
100. “A good leader doesn’t get stuck behind a desk.” – Richard Branson
101. “The brands that will thrive in the coming years are the ones that have a purpose beyond profit.” – Richard Branson
Related: Richard Branson’s Net Worth
Bonus Richard Branson Quote
Bonus: This final Richard Branson quote we believe is the one that can lead just about anyone to finding more success in life, business, or their careers. As such, we’re giving it special attention as a bonus quote. Here you go:
“If You Want To Stand Out From The Crowd, Give People A Reason Not To Forget You.”
– richard branson –
Final Thoughts
There you have it, the best-of-the-best Richard Branson quotes. We hope they inspire and guide you as you pursue your own success and achievement in business and life. Be sure to check out Richard Branson’s blog if you want direct access to many of his wise and insightful musings.
Lastly, if enjoyed any of these quotes or this page in general, please consider sharing it with someone who could use a bit of Sir Richard Branson’s sage advice on success, business, and life.
Till next time,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed these Richard Branson quotes and you want to learn more about how Richard Branson became so successful, read this: Richard Branson Success Story
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