Quote

You don't know this when you're young, but over time, you see that great companies are usually built at a special point in time.

Lots of companies don't succeed over time. What do they fundamentally do wrong? They usually miss the future.

In this business it takes time to be really good - and by that time, you're obsolete.

There's a whole generation of young people who are faced with the so-called 'jobless recovery.' Necessity is the mother of invention. They are out there, all around the world, creating new companies.

Somehow, the company must stay true to the founding vision while avoiding the pitfalls of rapid growth - and perhaps survive the hiring of a previously successful executive who doesn't work out.

Many companies don't exist after 25 years. It's a rarity. Or if they do exist, they're like IBM, with a totally changing personality.

The most successful businesses have an idea for the future that's very different from the present - and that's not fully valued.

You can always think that we're old and not innovative, but there is no company that can limp on for 139 years without being creative and having the genes to change.

The middle-class ladder has rungs that no longer exist for many trying to climb higher. Instead, for too many, in too many places, their chore is simply trying to hang on.

Building businesses takes tremendous stamina, and success isn't achieved without it.