33 Best Inspirational Quotes For Startups And Entrepreneurs

Launching a startup can be a challenging endeavor. Sometimes it’s like a roller coaster. In the beginning you have this great idea to change the world. You put all the plans in place and do the due diligence, conduct market research and finally you pitch your ideas. Everyone loves the idea. You are fully charged. Passion was your fuel and the energy that got you going. Everything seemed to be going well. You spent sleepless night and finally launched a beta version of your product or service. You are so excited to launch the site and get some publicity from influencers. After about six months, everything fizzled. Things were not going as planned. You go back to the drawing board and retraced your steps on why realities were different from your original expectations. You probably say to yourself, I need to “pivot.” The problem is, life doesn’t always go as planned. We all need encouragement and inspirations from entrepreneurs who have traveled the same road before. They persevere in the face of challenges and were later able to overcome the challenges that come with starting a business.

We’ve put together 33 best inspirational quotes for startups and entrepreneurs from the world’s  respected and renowned founders and entrepreneurs . The quotes come from people from all walks of life. We hope these quotes inspire you as you travel through your startup journey.

1. “What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed.” –Dave Thomas, Founder, Wendy’s
2. “You just have to pay attention to what people need and what has not been done.”–Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jam
3. “Wonder what your customer really wants? Ask. Don’t tell.” –Lisa Stone, BlogHer Co-Founder and CEO
4. “Starting your own business is like riding a roller coaster. There are highs and lows and every turn you take is another twist. The lows are really low, but the highs can be really high. You have to be strong, keep your stomach tight, and ride along with the roller coaster that you started.“–Lindsay Manseau, photographer and entrepreneur
5. “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” –Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister
6. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ―Thomas A. Edison
7. “Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you.” –Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO
8. “One can get anything if he is willing to help enough others get what they want.” –Zig Ziglar, Motivational Speaker and Author
9. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” –Steve Jobs, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Apple
10. “I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.” –Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder and CEO
11. “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” –Guy Kawasaki, Alltop Co-Founder and Entrepreneur
12. “Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right once.” –Drew Houston, Dropbox Co-Founder and CEO
13. “Ideas are commodity. Execution of them is not.” –Michael Dell, Dell Chairman and CEO
14. “User experience is everything. It always has been, but it’s undervalued and underinvested in. If you don’t know user-centered design, study it. Hire people who know it. Obsess over it. Live and breathe it. Get your whole company on board.” –Evan Williams, Co-Founder, Twitter
15. “Projections are just bullshit. They’re just guesses.” –Jason Fried, Founder, 37Signals
16. “Don’t be a lone wolf. Lean on the experience and smarts of your teammates, investors, and mentors to help solve the tough problems and take advantage of the opportunities.”— Seth Bannon, founder and CEO of Amicus
17. “You shouldn’t focus on why you can’t do something, which is what most people do. You should focus on why perhaps you can, and be one of the exceptions.” –Steve Case, AOL Co-Founder and CEO
18. “The best startups generally come from somebody needing to scratch an itch.”–Michael Arrington, founder and co-editor of TechCrunch
19. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” –Bill Gates, Microsoft Founder and former CEO
20. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.” –Richard Branson, Virgin Group Founder
21. “Make your team feel respected, empowered and genuinely excited about the company’s mission.” –Tim Westergen, Pandora Founder
22. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into smaller manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” –Mark Twain, American Humorist and Author
23. “Bad shit is coming. It always is in a startup. The odds of getting from launch to liquidity without some kind of disaster happening are one in a thousand. So don’t get demoralized.”–Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator
24.  “It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hard work of running a business and completely forget that while solving problems and building something you can be proud of, you also have an incredible opportunity to shape the future. Even better, you have the chance to meet amazing people and do amazing things along the way. It’s important not to get lost among the trees and forget about the amazing, beautiful forest you’re planting.”–Colin Wright, co-founder of Asymmetrical Press
25. “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”–Thomas Edison, co-founder of General Electric
26. “In between goals is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed.” –Sid Caesar, Entertainer
27. “Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” –Stephen R. Covey, Author
28. “When you find an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue.” –Josh James, Omniture CEO and Co-Founder
29. “Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph: a beginning, a struggle and a victory.” –Mahatma Gandhi, Political and Spiritual Leader
30. “Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress.” –Seth Godin, Author
31. “If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.” –Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Founder and CEO
32. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” –Steve Jobs, Co-Founder and CEO, Apple
33. “Never, never, never give up.” –Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister
34. Bonus: Always under promise and over deliver – Anonymous

On a last note, no matter whatever you do, live a life of purpose and make a positive difference to anyone that crosses your path in life. Always do the right thing because it is the right thing do and not because of what others think about you. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.