What are some of the most successful men thinking? Sometimes, we can gain inspiration, motivation, ideas, tips, and advice from famous quotes and lessons from some of today’s most successful men. Luckily, these men have provided the keys to their success in the form of lessons.
From the pioneer of Apple, Steve Jobs, and the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, to President Barack Obama and founder of the Rich Dad Company, Robert Kiyosaki, we have compiled a list of lessons from successful men.
Making Plans for the Future
We’re starting our list with a quote from Steve Jobs, an American entrepreneur, and investor known for creating Apple, the tech giant we know today.
This famous quote is from the 2005 Stanford speech and says, ‘You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.’
This lesson is that we can plan our lives all we want in advance, but there’ll always be something unpredictable that happens. And that thing might seem like defeat, but you should trust that it will turn out like seeds for success in the future.
Perspective of Perfection
The co-founder of Twitter and the CEO of Square, Jack Dorsey, is another successful man. He is well-known as an internet entrepreneur, programmer, and philanthropist.
The featured quote is, ‘Make every detail perfect and limit the number of details to perfect.’ The first ‘perfect; is a noun in this quote, while the second is a verb. It’s a fantastic lesson for all businessmen.
This quote was explicitly talking about building a product or service. Your product is packed with features doesn’t mean that it’s better than those with less. Instead, you should provide the correct parts for your product and perfect them.
Two Traits for Success
Next on our list is a lesson from Jeff Bezos, the founder, former President, and CEO of Amazon. As of May 2022, Bezos had a recorded net worth of US$140 billion, making him the second richest man.
He once said, ‘If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon. And if you’re not flexible, you’ll pound your head against the wall, and you won’t see a different solution to a problem you’re trying to solve.’
According to Bezos, one needs to be flexible and stubborn to succeed at any project. Although this advice seems easy, it’s challenging to figure out when to be flexible and dogmatic. If not, you might give up when you can be flexible and frustrated when you should be stubborn.
The Right Mantra
A favorite of many Americans, the next successful man on our list, is Barack Obama, and he has a life-changing lesson for you. The 44th President of the United States is known as the country’s first black President.
Obama once said, ‘Be useful. And, be kind.’ He gave this advice to his daughters, but it resonated with the rest of the world. Although it appears simple, there’s a lot to learn from this lesson.
A successful man focuses on being beneficial to the world by providing a product and service that offers value to others or giving back to the community. And, a successful man must be kind no matter what. If you need a mantra for your personal or work life, you should be helpful and kind.
Definition of Success
Warren Edward Buffet is a business magnate, philanthropist, and investor. He is presently the CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. As Buffet was not born rich, his philosophy on generational wealth is different.
The lesson we picked from Warren Buffet is, ‘Success is having what you want and wanting what you have, and having the people whom you love to love you.’
During an interview, Buffet stated that when you get to his age, you’ll start measuring your success by those who love you and the fact that you can have what you want. Instead of waiting to get old, you should begin gauging success with this yardstick today.
Leveraging Opposition
This lesson comes from David Brinkley, an American newscaster for ABC and NBC. His career lasted from 1943 to 1997 before he passed away in the same year, and he is known as one of the most successful men in the news.
David Brinkley once said, ‘A successful man can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.’ This is one of the best quotes that any man should hold to his heart, especially if he’s trying something new.
Regardless of the field we work in or the stage we are in life, we will always face obstacles. Sometimes, these challenges seem like more than you can take, but a successful man knows how to leverage them to achieve something good.
Who’s the Fool? Cuban
There’s also a lesson from Mark Cuban, the billionaire, entrepreneur, media proprietor, and television personality. He is the chairman of AXS TV.
Mark Cuban stated, ‘Always look for the fool in the deal. If you don’t find one, it’s you.’ This lesson is great for any man, especially for entrepreneurs dealing with other businesspeople.
Although some scams are obvious, others are subtle, and you might not realize you’re being fooled until it’s too late. When you’re doing business, it’s essential to carry out extensive research, especially with those that you will do business with. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, so you don’t become a fool.
Make Money Work
Robert Kiyosaki is widely known for his book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, which covered the difference between his friend’s wealthy father and his dad, who was poor. The Rich Dad gained wealth with investments and entrepreneurship, while the Poor Dad worked all his life but never got financial security.
Kiyosaki is a businessman, author, and Rich Global LLC, founder. You can expect his lessons to be on financial security and investments based on this. He once said, ‘It’s not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for.’
This is one of the most important money lessons that any man should consider. It’s saying that while making money is great, what you do with the money matters. Just because you collect a large salary doesn’t mean you’ll achieve financial success. Instead, it would help if you made your money work for you.
Have Fun Living
Next on our list is Dale Carnegie, a writer, lecturer, and developer of courses on topics like corporate training, self-improvement, and public speaking. He passed in 1955 and wrote one of the best-selling self-help books of all time, ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People.’
A straightforward lesson you can learn from Dale Carnegie is, ‘People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.’ It’s pretty clear and doesn’t require much explanation.
It’s often said that you should make your passion your job or monetize your interests. When you have fun with what you do, you will be more enthusiastic and stubborn, eventually achieving success.
Don’t Get Discouraged.
We also have an essential lesson from Matthew Weiner, a television writer, director, and producer. He is popularly known as the creator of Mad Men, a popular television series. He also wrote and exclusively produced The Sopranos.
When talking about what he had learned from his successes and failures, Matthew Weiner stated, ‘If I weren’t able to recover from ‘We don’t like what you did,’ I would have a different job, or I would be living in my parent’s basement.’
Many of the most successful men you see today suffered countless rejections before finally achieving their goals. If any of them gave up in the middle, we wouldn’t look up to them today.
Choose the Right Company
The co-founder of LinkedIn, Reid Garrett Hoffman, is next on our list. He is an internet entrepreneur, podcaster, venture capitalist, and author. He was also the executive chairman of LinkedIn.
When it comes to the importance of friends, Reid Hoffman stated, ‘The fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be.’
It is widely said that when people see your friends, they can figure out who you are. If you want to be successful, you must surround yourself with those you look up to.
Compete Against Yourself
We’re rounding up with a quote from Billy Mills, widely known as the first and only American to win the 10,000-meter race at the Olympics. This happened in 1964.
Billy Mills has a profounding quote that every man should hold in their heart to be truly successful and happy. He said, ‘The ultimate is not to win, but to reach within your capabilities’ depths and compete against yourself to the greatest extent possible. When you do that, you have dignity. You have pride. You can walk about with character and pride no matter where you happen to finish.’
We often spend our days competing with others and trying to be the first in whatever we do. But it’s essential to compete against yourself and push yourself to the greatest extent you can achieve. Even if you don’t finish first, you will be proud because you have reached the depth of your capabilities.
