Ingvar Kamprad quotes: the late Swedish billionaire and IKEA founder’s famous words on time, money, leading by example, serving the masses, and more.
“Creativity and believing in your work is absolutely a necessary part of success.”
“Happiness is not reaching your goal. Happiness is being on the way.”
“The most dangerous poison is the feeling of achievement. The antidote is to, every evening, think what can be done better tomorrow.”
“The word ‘impossible’ has been and must remain deleted from our dictionary.”
“Only those who are asleep make no mistakes.”
“Making mistakes is the privilege of the active – of those who can correct their mistakes and put them right. It is always the mediocre people who are negative, who spend their time proving that they are not wrong.”
“Time is your most important resource. You can do so much in ten minutes. Ten minutes – once gone – is gone for good.”
“Ten minutes are not just one-sixth of your hourly pay; ten minutes is a piece of yourself. Divide yourself into ten units and sacrifice as few of them as possible in meaningless activities. Most things still remain to be done.”
“No method is more effective than the good example.”
“Everything we earn we need as a reserve.”
“A company that feels it has reached its goal will quickly stagnate and lose its vitality.”
“Simplicity and common sense should characterize planning and strategic direction.”
“The vast majority of people don’t have six figure amounts in the bank and don’t live in enormous apartments. It is for just such people that I created IKEA – for everybody who wants a comfortable house in which to live well. A need that crosses all countries, races, and religions.”
“If there is such a thing as good leadership, it is to give a good example. I have to do so for all the IKEA employees.”
“What is good for our customers is also in the long run good for us.”
“Our idea is to serve everybody, including people with little money.”
“I am very proud to follow the rules of our company.”
“If you want to maximize results, it’s not enough to preach. You have to set a good example.”
“We rely on our own strength and our own will.”
“To do business with a clear conscience is an attitude that pays. We have to find more time for ourselves and to regain respect for the environment in which we live.”
“A better everyday life means getting away from status and conventions – being freer and more at ease as human beings.”
“We ought to have more women in various management positions, because women are the ones who decide almost everything in the home.”
“When the first million came in, I felt, ‘My God, now I’m really independent.’ That was a fantastic experience. But the 100th million had not felt at all the same.”
“If you look at me now, I don’t think I’m wearing anything that wasn’t bought at a flea market.”
“It’s better to be a bit stingy than to throw money out of the window.”
“We don’t need flashy cars, impressive titles, uniforms, or other status symbols. We rely on our strength and our will!”
“Being humble isn’t the same as keeping a low profile. If you have something important to say, say it. Being humble means admitting your weaknesses, and trying to put them right.”
“I see my task as serving the majority of people. The question is, how do you find out what they want, how best to serve them? My answer is to stay close to ordinary people because, at heart, I am one of them.”
“The feeling of having finished something is an effective sleeping pill. A person who retires feeling that he has done his bit will quickly wither away.”
“I’m not afraid of turning 80 and I have lots of things to do. I don’t have time for dying.”
“What else could I do at my age? Grow tomatoes in an allotment behind the house? I don’t know how to do anything apart from sell furniture. I am your classic, specialized idiot.”
“Nobody can guarantee a company or a concept of eternal life, but no one can accuse me of not having tried to.”
“We still have a long way to go – or as I have written so many times, and said at the end of hundreds of speeches: ‘We are just at the beginning. A glorious future!'”
“To create a better everyday life for the many people.”
“Most things still remain to be done.”
“I am stingy and I’m proud of the reputation.”
