Lee Iacocca

Lee Iacocca

21 quotes

The American businessman Lee Iacocca is someone whose pithy observations have become part of everyday conversation. The range of their thinking — from Business to Best — speaks to an intellectual restlessness that shows in every quote. 32 of Lee Iacocca's sharpest quotes live here, spanning themes of Business, Best, Great, Work, and Positive. To get a sense of their style, try: "We at Chrysler borrow money the old-fashioned way. We pay it back."

“There is no substitute for accurate knowledge. Know yourself, know your business, know your men.”

— Lee Iacocca

Business

All Quotes by Lee Iacocca

“In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.”

— Lee Iacocca

Best

“We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”

— Lee Iacocca

Great

“My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life.”

— Lee Iacocca

Great

“A guy named Charlie Beacham was my first mentor at Ford. He taught me the importance of the dealers, and he rubbed my nose in the retail business.”

— Lee Iacocca

Business

“Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate with your employees, motivate them and reward them. If you do all those things effectively, you can't miss.”

— Lee Iacocca

Business

“The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works, is the family.”

— Lee Iacocca

Family

“There is no substitute for accurate knowledge. Know yourself, know your business, know your men.”

— Lee Iacocca

Business

“Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people.”

— Lee Iacocca

Work

“Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God, do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen.”

— Lee Iacocca

Education

“One of the things the government can't do is run anything. The only things our government runs are the post office and the railroads, and both of them are bankrupt.”

— Lee Iacocca

Government

“In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product, and profits.”

— Lee Iacocca

Business

“I forgot to shake hands and be friendly. It was an important lesson about leadership.”

— Lee Iacocca

Leadership

“Every business and every product has risks. You can't get around it.”

— Lee Iacocca

Business

“The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being.”

— Lee Iacocca

Change

“Management is nothing more than motivating other people.”

— Lee Iacocca

Work

“In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.”

— Lee Iacocca

Anger

“Talk to people in their own language. If you do it well, they'll say, 'God, he said exactly what I was thinking.' And when they begin to respect you, they'll follow you to the death.”

— Lee Iacocca

Death

“We at Chrysler borrow money the old-fashioned way. We pay it back.”

— Lee Iacocca

Finance

“There are times when even the best manager is like the little boy with the big dog, waiting to see where the dog wants to go so he can take him there.”

— Lee Iacocca

Best

“I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it.”

— Lee Iacocca

Best