Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

My Philosophy of Industry

Rate this book
In this book, originated in a series of interviews, Henry Ford decided to put forward his business and life philosophy and his ideas in industry, success, the role of machines, politics, the role in business men in society, and even, the value of mistakes.And incredible insight into the mind and thoughts of one of the greatest industrialist and innovators ever born in the world. The lessons taught in this book, are as current and precious as ever,

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2010

5 people are currently reading
69 people want to read

About the author

Henry Ford

346 books349 followers
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Although Ford did not invent the automobile or the assembly line, he developed and manufactured the first automobile that many middle class Americans could afford. In doing so, Ford converted the automobile from an expensive curiosity into a practical conveyance that would profoundly impact the landscape of the twentieth century. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. As owner of the Ford Motor Company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "Fordism": mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers. Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put dealerships throughout most of North America and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation and arranged for his family to control the company permanently.

Ford was also widely known for his pacifism during the first years of World War I, and also for being the publisher of anti semitic texts such as the book The International Jew.

His father gave him a pocket watch in his early teens. At 15, Ford dismantled and reassembled the timepieces of friends and neighbors dozens of times, gaining the reputation of a watch repairman.

Ford was devastated when his mother died in 1876. His father expected him to eventually take over the family farm, but he despised farm work. He later wrote, "I never had any particular love for the farm—it was the mother on the farm I loved."

In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932), society is organized on "Fordist" lines, the years are dated A.F. or Anno Ford ("In the Year of our Ford"), and the expression "My Ford" is used instead of "My Lord".

Upton Sinclair created a fictional description of Ford in the 1937 novel The Flivver King.

Symphonic composer Ferde Grofe composed a tone poem in Henry Ford's honor (1938).
Ford is treated as a character in several historical novels, notably E. L. Doctorow's Ragtime (1975), and Richard Powers' novel Three Farmers on the Way to a Dance (1985).

Ford, his family, and his company were the subjects of a 1986 biography by Robert Lacey entitled Ford: The Men and the Machine. The book was adapted in 1987 into a film starring Cliff Robertson and Michael Ironside.

In the 2005 alternative history novel The Plot Against America, Philip Roth features Ford as Secretary of Interior in a fictional Charles Lindbergh presidential administration.

The British author Douglas Galbraith uses the event of the Ford Peace Ship as the center of his novel King Henry (2007).

Ford appears as a Great Builder in the 2008 strategy video game Civilization Revolution.

In December 1999, Ford was among 18 included in Gallup's List of Widely Admired People of the 20th Century, from a poll conducted of the American people.

In 1928, Ford was awarded the Franklin Institute's Elliott Cresson Medal.

In 1938, Ford was awarded Nazi Germany's Grand Cross of the German Eagle, a medal given to foreigners sympathetic to Nazism.

The United States Postal Service honored Ford with a Prominent Americans series (1965–1978) 12¢ postage stamp.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
2 (22%)
4 stars
5 (55%)
3 stars
2 (22%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Toros Yesja.
158 reviews20 followers
May 9, 2018
Upping my review by 1 star because there are certain quotes in the book that still stick with me. Besides, I now believe that the book is certainly dense enough for its size.
Profile Image for Abdullah Almuslem.
493 reviews50 followers
June 15, 2015
This was a short book about how Henry Ford sees the industrial revolution.. Few quotes from the book :

"The whole industrial world is suffering from many bad practices which we must refuse to use or tolerate. There must be a substitution of right methods, of right motives, the real ideas of service "

"One invention makes way for another; one discovery lights up the path ahead so that he who runs may read— and lead"


"The most important work that faces the young generation today is making the world a better place to live in"

"Men with old ideas cling to old ways of doing things, frequently attempting to solve the new problems by old methods. But new men soon rise to take their place— men who have read the signs of the times aright and who are flexible enough and wise enough to interpret rather than protest the changing order"


Recommended read
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.