Thomas J. Watson

Businessman

1874-02-17

Quotes by Thomas J. Watson

• All the problems of the world could be settled easily if men were only willing to think. The trouble is that men very often resort to all sorts of devices in order not to think, because thinking is such hard work.

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• 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.

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• Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops.

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• To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business and your business in your heart.

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• Every time we've moved ahead in IBM, it was because someone was willing to take a chance, put his head on the block, and try something new.

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• Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the danger of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity.

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• You don't hear things that are bad about your company unless you ask. It is easy to hear good tidings, but you have to scratch to get the bad news.

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• The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas and enthusiasm.

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• The toughest thing about the power of trust is that it's very difficult to build and very easy to destroy. The essence of trust building is to emphasize the similarities between you and the customer.

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• 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?

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