Warren Buffett on business motivation

As a practical matter, we need management with the businesses that we buy.  And 3 times out of 4, or thereabouts, the manager is the owner and is receiving tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars.  So they don't have to work.  And we have to decide in that time when we meet them whether they love the business or love money.  We're not making a moral judgment... but it's very important for me to know which of the two is the primary motivator with them.  And we have had extremely good luck in identifying people who love their business.

So all we have to do is avoid anything on our part that diminishes that love of the business or makes other conditions so intolerable that they overcome that love that love of the business.  We have a number of people working for us that have no financial need to work at all and they probably outwork 95% or more of the people in the world, and they do it because they love smacking the ball.

~ Warren Buffett, "Why I Fire People Every Day - Warren Buffett," YouTube, 0:20 mark, November 16, 2021

Queen Elizabeth II on independence

The world is not the most pleasant place.  Eventually, your parents leave you and nobody is going to go out of their way to protect you unconditionally.  You need to learn to stand up for yourself and what you believe and sometimes, pardon my language, kick some ass. 

~ Queen Elizabeth II

(According to snopes.com, this quote is misattributed.)

Agatha Christie on success

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. 

~ Agatha Christie

Jordan Peterson on motivation

You're going to have to put some effort into your life and you need to be motivated to do that.  And so, what are the potential sources of motivation?  You can think about them in the big five manner.  If you're an extrovert you want friends.  If you're agreeable you want an intimate relationship.  If you're disagreeable you want to win competitions.  If you're open you want to engage in creative activity.  If you're high in neuroticism you want security.  So those are all sources of potential motivation that you can draw on, that you can tailor to your own personality.

~ Jordan Peterson, speech on YouTube, 5:30 mark, July 26, 2021

Richard Branson on lifelong learning

My biggest motivation?  Just to keep challenging myself.  I see life almost like one long University education that I never had - everyday I'm learning something new.

~ Richard Branson

Jim Rohn on getting things done

If you really want to do something, you'll find a way.  If you don't, you'll find an excuse.

~ Jim Rohn

Kobe Bryant on inspiration

The most important thing, the thing that unites all of us, is that we can INSPIRE and CHALLENGE one another TO BE BETTER.

~ Kobe Bryant

Albert Einstein on discipline

The secret of discipline is motivation.  When a man is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself.

~ Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein
1979