Thomas J. Watson Jr. > Quotes

“If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good.”
― Thomas J. Watson

“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost. ”
― Thomas J. Watson

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.”
― Thomas J. Watson Jr.

“Nothing so conclusively proves a man's ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.”
― Thomas J. Watson

“The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas and enthusiasm.”
― Thomas J. Watson

“Wisdom is the power to put our time and our knowledge to the proper use. ”
― Thomas J. Watson

“… as I associated with more and more different types, I realized that to make it, you had to get along with almost everybody. If you dislike the people you work with, you’d better not show it. I learned that to be a good leader, I had to strike a delicate balance.”
― Thomas J. Watson Jr., Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond

“Good design is good business.”
― Thomas J. Watson Jr.

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simply really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure, or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember, that’s where you’ll find success.”
― Thomas J. Watson Jr.

“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy.
Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.”
― Thomas J Watson

“Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.”
― Thomas J. Watson

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.”
― Thomas J. Watson

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success.”
― Thomas J. Watson

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't as all. You can be discouraged by failure - or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember, that's where you will find success.”
― Thomas J. Watson Jr.

“Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.” — Thomas J. Watson”
― Thomas J. Watson, America's Twelve Master Salesmen

“Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him. Why would I want somebody to hire his experience?”
― Thomas J. Watson

“Since we built such sophisticated business machines, people tended to think of IBM as a model of order and logic—a totally streamlined organization in which we developed plans rationally and carried them out with utter precision. I never thought for a minute that was really the case.”
― Thomas J. Watson, Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond

“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business and your business in your heart.”
― Thomas J. Watson