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I'm building a directory of startup quotes so that when us starters need some quick wisdom or a pick me up, we can browse though awesome quotes about a chosen startup topic. I'm almost done building out a rough prototype of the site and am harvesting quotes to add to it now.

Links to any websites that have quotes related to startups are also appreciated (I already know about startupquote).

Thanks in advance for your help!

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Thanks for the quotes so far everyone! If you could put the person who actually said the quote too that'd be awesome. Thanks! – Andy Cook Jan 19 '11 at 23:56
Just do it. -nike – Ricardo Jan 22 '11 at 18:01

19 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

These quotes are from the 2010 Business of Software conference. I'm including a link back to the original post (my blog) for each speaker, in case it helps you. I can remove the links if not necessary.

Dharmesh Shah (link to original post):

  • “Don’t make customers happy. Make happy customers.”
  • "Brand is what people say about you after you’ve left the room.”
  • “Venture capital is neither necessary nor evil.”
  • “Services are low margin…except when they’re not.”
  • “Invest in the experience, not the product, and everyone wins.”
  • “Customers are very good at finding problems, not at finding solutions for those problems.”
  • “Transparency trumps secrecy.”
  • “Dream Big. Execute Small.”
  • “Don’t make (fill in the blank) software. Make (fill in the blank) superstars.”

Seth Godin (link to original post):

  • “The reason to fit in is to be ignored.”
  • “Software that’s boring will never turn into a movement.”
  • “People are waiting to be led.”
  • “Competence is no longer a scarce commodity.”

Peldi (link to original post):

  • “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”
  • “Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.”
  • “Create something so good people will want to copy it.”
  • “If you work while they [your family] sleep, they won’t know you’re ignoring them.”

Rob Walling (link to original post):

  • “The ineffective marketer asks you to buy too soon.”

Dan Bricklin (link to original post):

  • “The hard part of feature design…what to leave out.”
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1  
Whoa! Awesome list and thanks so much! – Andy Cook Jan 20 '11 at 18:55
Glad it helped! I have more quotes written down in my notes. I'll update this later. – Zuly Gonzalez♦ Jan 20 '11 at 23:17
up vote 9 down vote

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”

-Les Brown (motivational speaker)

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up vote 9 down vote

From Founders at Work:

No, it was never clear that we were on to something huge. You never know anything. The hardest part in a startup is that you wake up one morning, and you feel great about the day, and you think, “We’re kicking ass.” And then you wake up the next morning, and you think “We’re dead.” And literally nothing’s changed.

-Joe Krauss (Cofounder, Excite)

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This is actually one of my favorite quotes from FaW. Thanks for sharing – Andy Cook Jan 20 '11 at 6:01
That really stuck out with me as I am currently reading the book. It is quite an amazing book. – percent20 Jan 20 '11 at 9:46
up vote 8 down vote

Eric Sink on "Starting Your Own Company"...

In your first 40 hours per week, build custom software or websites for other companies. Charge them enough money to pay your expenses. In your other 40 hours per week, work on building your product.

If this sounds like a lot of hard work, you are absolutely right. If that sounds unappealing, keep your job

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up vote 6 down vote

“Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity."

  • Will Smith (yes, the actor).
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2  
Love how you clarified that. Will Smith's pretty amazing so I believe it. Thanks! – Andy Cook Jan 20 '11 at 5:59
Will Smith Wisdom: youtube.com/watch?v=DSEV6O5JoPI&feature=player_embedded – user3997 Jan 20 '11 at 7:28
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and he's one of a handful of celebrities who can actually solve a rubik's cube :) youtube.com/watch?v=gUncHGvBuks – Henry the Hengineer Jan 21 '11 at 6:03
up vote 4 down vote

"Creativity comes from Constraints"

-Biz Stone (Twitter co-founder)

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up vote 4 down vote

You just can't beat the person who never gives up. -Babe Ruth

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up vote 2 down vote

The idea is nothing. Execution is everything.

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Do you know who said this quote? Right to the point which is what I like – Andy Cook Jan 20 '11 at 18:54
up vote 2 down vote

If companies don't know that they can run out of money, they won't be thinking of ways not to run out of money. --Bill Gross

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Very true. I haven't heard this one before and like it a lot. Thanks – Andy Cook Jan 21 '11 at 14:18
up vote 2 down vote

If you aren't embarrassed about your 1st version, you have launched it very very late

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+1 I don't think it deserves a downvote. This quote says to me "Get Things Moving" – eiefai Jan 20 '11 at 21:25
Thank you eiefai – viv Jan 21 '11 at 9:40
up vote 1 down vote

Rule #1: The customer is always right.

Rule #2: When the customer is wrong, see rule #1

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3  
I hate this 'rule', it's exactly the reason 75% of all good startups go downhill, trying to patch their product for one good client. – Corey Hart Jan 20 '11 at 8:19
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The problem with this is that not everyone is your customer, even if they're buying your product/service. The hard part is determining which customers to keep. The ones you want to keep are the same ones who are always right. – Elie Jan 20 '11 at 21:42
up vote 1 down vote

"Build value before profit..."

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up vote 1 down vote

Woods are lovely dark and deep, Woods are lovely dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.

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+1 on the off-chance that you saw the Charles Bronson movie – Brandon King Jan 20 '11 at 9:10
Telefon - good movie – TimJ♦ Jan 20 '11 at 15:15
up vote 1 down vote

Fred Terman:

"It is better to have one seven-foot jumper on your team than any number of six-foot jumpers.

"I most enjoy helping to build something up, taking an unformulated enterprise and making it into what it could become.

"When we set out to create a community of technical scholars in Silicon Valley, there wasn't much here and the rest of the world looked awfully big. Now a lot of the rest of the world is here."

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up vote 1 down vote

"Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black"

Henry Ford

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_Ford

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up vote 1 down vote

"Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life [or do you want to change the world]"

Supposed quote from Steve Jobs to John Sculley about joining him at Apple.

Note though that I am not a Jobs fan - his ethics are highly questionable and I don't think I would like working for him. But that quote is clear about doing something.

It is similar to the line from The Shawshank Redemption:

"Get busy living, or get busy dying"

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up vote 1 down vote

"Anything worth achieving in life has a dip" - Seth Godin

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up vote 1 down vote

"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur."

-Red Adair

“Teamwork is no accident. It is the by-product of good leadership.”

-John Adair

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up vote 0 down vote

"A journey of one thousand miles begins with one step"

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