45 Inspirational Business Quotes for Any Professional

We have put together quotes for you to jot in your journal, print for your mantra, plonk on a presentation, or create a post for your team. These quotes will travel with you on your journey as an entrepreneur, business owner, manager, or individual.

We’ve also included a few extra at the end, just to remind you that a little laughter can go a long way in the world of business.

Keep reading to see our list of the 105 inspirational business quotes!

Business quotes to inspire you

Waking up and being positive to your team can be a challenge. You have to find the energy and inspiration every day to lead them into the corporate battle and the success of quarterly goals for both themselves and the business.

Here are 10 quotes to inspire you in the right business mindset.

1. “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”
   -Sir Richard Branson, Entrepreneur and co-founder of Virgin Group

2. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
   -Walt Disney, Animator and film producer
3. “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
   -Peter F. Drucker, Management consultant, educator, and author
4. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
   -Mark Twain, Writer, publisher, and lecturer
5. “In order to succeed. We must first believe that we can.”
   -Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek writer
6. “The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows.”
   -Aristotle, Greek philosopher
7. “To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business and your business in your heart.”
   -Thomas J. Watson, Chairman and CEO of IBM
8. “One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.”
   -Michael Korda, Editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster
9. “Action is the foundational key to all success.”
   -Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor
10. “The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others.”
    -Hasidic Proverb

Business quotes to motivate your day

A great way to start your day is with a dose of motivation. Here are quotes from some of  the most successful people, and their words of encouragement. We’ve handpicked them based on their ability to energize, fuel, and push you to your fullest potential.

11. “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
    -Winston Churchill, Former prime minister of Britain
12. “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
    -Will Rodgers, Actor and comedian
13. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.”
    -John D. Rockefeller, Industrialist and philanthropist
14. “First, think. Second, believe. Third, dream. And finally, dare.”
    -Walt Disney, Animator and film producer

15. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”
    -Robert H. Schuller, Motivational speaker, and author
16. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
    -Lao Tzu, Ancient Chinese philosopher and writer
17. “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
    -Albert Einstein, Theoretical physicist
18. “Don’t give up, the beginning is always the hardest.”
    -Kemmy Nola, Motivational speaker
19. “Small opportunities are often the beginning of great achievements.”
    -Demosthenes, Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens
20. “Always give your best effort even when the odds are against you.”
    -Arnold Palmer, Professional golfer

Business quotes for professional growth

If your goals are to understand and advance into the business world, these insights can help guide you. Each quote is a nugget of wisdom from previous business giants. Reflect on them and let them inspire you to grab every opportunity for growth.

21. “Play by the rules, but be ferocious.”
    -Phil Knight, Co-founder of Nike, Inc.
22. “There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them.”
    -Seth Godin, Author and business executive
23. “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right!”
    -Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company
24. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
    -Albert Schweitzer, Alsatian polymath and theologian
25. “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.”
    -Estée Lauder, Businesswoman and co-founder of cosmetics company

26. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
    -Vidal Sassoon, Hairstylist, businessman, and philanthropist
27. “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”
    –H. Jackson Brown, Jr., American author
28. “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
    -Antoine De Saint-Exupery, Writer, poet, aristocrat and journalist
29. “Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.”
    -Margaret Thatcher, British stateswoman and former British prime minister
30. “The heart and soul of a company is creativity and innovation.”
    -Robert Iger, CEO of Walt Disney

Business quotes for your team

These quotes were selected due to their underlying message of teamwork. Working together and inspiring each other is often the most effective way to achieve a goal.

Share these words with your team to boost morale and enhance cooperation:

31. “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.”
    -Steve Jobs, Former CEO of Apple
32. “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”
    -Albert Einstein, Theoretical physicist
33. “The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.”
    -Margaret Carty, Author and executive director of MLA
34. “Great things in business are never done by one person.”
    -Steve Jobs, Former CEO of Apple
35. “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
    -Ryunosuke Satoro, Japanese author
36. “One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team.”
    -Kareem Abdul-Jabber, American former professional basketball player
37. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
    -Phil Jackson, Former NBA basketball player and coach
38. “There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.”
    -Jason Fried, Founder & CEO at Basecamp
39. “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.
    -Helen Keller, American author, activist and educator
40. “A company is only as good as the people it keeps.”
    – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman and founder

An extra 5 business quotes to make you smile

Of course, we know that laughter is often the best medicine or be the factor that makes your presentation or poster memorable. We’ve included these quotes as a little bonus to this article to share the lighter side of business:

41. “Don’t take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.”
    -Elbert Hubbard, Writer and publisher
42. “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
    -Douglas Adams, Writer, screenwriter and humorist
43. “Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth.”
    -Mallory Hopkins, Writer and author
44. “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because, a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
    -Bill Gates, Former CEO of Microsoft
45. “Please note that I am self-employed. If you see me talking to myself, please do not disturb. I am having a staff meeting.”
    -Unknown

Business quotes from modern founders & CEOs

From shoes to space, today’s founders must scale vision as much as valuation. These lines capture the grit, speed, and customer obsession that shape the 2024–25 leadership playbook.

46. “Success today means improving someone’s life tomorrow.” – Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft (2024)
47. “Your brand is a memory factory—build moments worth reliving.” – Whitney Wolfe Herd, Founder, Bumble (2024)
48. “If AI can’t elevate the human in you, you’re using it wrong.” – Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google (2024)
49. “Growth is rented; community is owned.” – Ben Chestnut, Co-founder, Mailchimp (2024)
50. “Iterate like you’re right, listen like you’re wrong.” – Drew Houston, Co-founder, Dropbox (2024)
51. “Running lean is good—running curious is better.” – Melanie Perkins, CEO, Canva (2024)
52. “In 2025 the best KPI is still trust per click.” – Gary Vaynerchuk, VaynerX (2025)
53. “Make your product five-star; the algorithm will follow.” – Tobias Lütke, CEO, Shopify (2025)
54. “You can’t ‘optimize’ passion—hire it or lose it.” – Brian Chesky, CEO, Airbnb (2024)
55. “The customer journey is now a choose-your-own-adventure—write every page.” – Janet Balis, EY (2025)
56. “Fail fast is half the rule—learn fast is the other half.” – Jeff Lawson, Founder, Twilio (2024)
57. “Culture compounds—invest early, harvest forever.” – Stewart Butterfield, Co-founder, Slack (2024)
58. “Profit is applause for solving a real problem.” – Whitney Johnson, Author (2024)
59. “Attention is the new oil—refine it ethically.” – Rand Fishkin, SparkToro (2025)
60. “Speed wins deals; empathy keeps them.” – Mary Barra, CEO, GM (2024)

Business quotes from tech & AI thinkers

Generative AI, spatial computing, and quantum hype can feel abstract—until a clear sentence grounds them in human value. Let these technologists remind you where innovation meets impact.

61. “AI won’t steal your job, but someone using AI might.” – Andrew Ng, AI pioneer (2024)
62. “Data tells you what; story tells you why.” – Shonda Rhimes, Producer & entrepreneur (2025)
63. “Great products make complexity invisible.” – Tony Fadell, iPod/ Nest Creator (2024)
64. “The next big thing is many small things, connected.” – Tim Cook, CEO, Apple (2025)
65. “Trust is a feature—ship it every release.” – Bret Taylor, Former Co-CEO, Salesforce (2024)
66. “Measure twice, automate once.” – Fei-Fei Li, Stanford AI Lab (2025)
67. “Accessibility is innovation’s doorway, not its handicap ramp.” – Apple Vision Pro design team (2024)
68. “Code is poetry—make each commit worth reading.” – Matt Mullenweg, Founder, WordPress (2024)
69. “Your next competitor is a kid with an idea and an API key.” – Sam Altman, OpenAI (2025)
70. “If your dashboard has no ‘why,’ it’s just decoration.” – Julie Zhuo, Author (2024)
71. “Ethics is the scalability test for every tech.” – Timnit Gebru, DAIR (2024)
72. “Automate the boring so people can imagine the amazing.” – Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud (2024)
73. “Sometimes the most ‘advanced’ feature is an off switch.” – Jony Ive, LoveFrom (2025)
74. “Innovation is a relay; pass the baton clean.” – Susan Wojcicki, former YouTube CEO (2024)
75. “Disruption without empathy is just vandalism.” – Tristan Harris, Center for Humane Tech (2025)

Business quotes from marketing & branding voices

Attention is scarce and audiences are skeptical. The marketers below compress entire go-to-market strategies into one-liners you’ll want to pin to your next campaign brief.

76. “Brands are stories the market tells itself—give it a good plot.” – Ann Handley, MarketingProfs (2024)
77. “Creativity is an infinite game—no one wins; everyone plays.” – Rick Rubin, Producer (2024)
78. “If your logo vanished, would your tone be missed?” – Leslie Odom Jr., Actor & entrepreneur (2025)
79. “Marketing is the generous act of helping others become who they seek to be.” – Seth Godin (2025)
80. “Virality is rented; loyalty is owned.” – Alex Hormozi, Entrepreneur (2024)
81. “Make ads people bookmark, not skip.” – David Droga, CEO, Accenture Song (2024)
82. “Style attracts; substance converts.” – Bozoma Saint John, Former CMO, Netflix (2024)
83. “Your brand voice should fit like jeans: comfortable but intentional.” – Marty Neumeier, Brand Gap (2025)
84. “Community is the new funnel.” – Kudzi Chikumbu, TikTok (2024)
85. “Great copy does three jobs: stops scroll, sparks thought, starts action.” – Joanna Wiebe, Copyhackers (2024)
86. “A rebrand is a promise audit.” – Paula Scher, Pentagram (2024)
87. “The best campaign turns customers into creators.” – Daniela Amato, LEGO (2025)
88. “Data tells you who, but story tells you why.” – Nancy Duarte, Duarte Inc (2024)
89. “If people have to ask ‘So what?’ you haven’t branded, you’ve broadcast.” – Mark Ritson, Marketing Week (2025)
90. “Content without context is just noise.” – Ann Smarty, SEO influencer (2024)

Business quotes on leadership & culture

Whether your team is remote, hybrid, or metaverse-curious, culture scales every decision. These quotes turn abstract HR buzzwords into pocket-sized leadership mantras.

91. “Hire for humility; teach the rest.” – Indra Nooyi, Former PepsiCo CEO (2024)
92. “Hybrid work works when trust travels faster than Wi-Fi.” – Brian Halligan, HubSpot (2024)
93. “The best leaders plant shade they’ll never sit in.” – Jane Fraser, CEO, Citi (2025)
94. “Diversity is being invited; inclusion is being heard.” – Shellye Archambeau, Former MetricStream CEO (2024)
95. “Your calendar is your company culture in 30 tiny boxes.” – Patrick Lencioni, Author (2024)
96. “Meetings without decisions are status updates—send an email.” – Elon Musk, CEO, Tesla (2024)
97. “Psychological safety is the new KPI for innovation.” – Amy Edmondson, HBS (2025)
98. “Great teams argue about ideas, not egos.” – Reed Hastings, Netflix (2024)
99. “If feedback is medicine, candor is the spoonful of sugar.” – Kim Scott, Radical Candor (2025)
100. “Work-life balance is a verb, not a noun.” – Arianna Huffington, Thrive (2024)
101. “Celebrate progress louder than perfection.” – Hubert Joly, Former Best Buy CEO (2024)
102. “Quiet leadership is louder than loud management.” – Cal Newport, Author (2025)
103. “Vision is a team sport.” – Simon Sinek, Author (2024)
104. “Zoom fatigue isn’t from screens—it’s from meetings that should be memos.” – Basecamp founders (2024)
105. “Compassion scales better than control.” – Gary Ham

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The message that connects them all

We’ve looked at inspirational business quotes, motivational ones, and professional quotes for your team. What do they all have in common? You have to be in the right mindset and strive to be:

• Positive
• Innovative
• Diligent
• Tenacious

You also have to be surrounded by people with similar mindsets to bring strengths and resources together. At WebFX know all about that.

For nine years in a row, we’ve been named the #1 Best Place to Work due to our efforts to build a positive company work culture. We find that it fosters creativity, innovation, and determination that drives top-tier results for our clients.

Want to learn more about how we empower our team to drive results for our clients? Get a glimpse into the WebFX culture by checking out our POSITIVE company values!