Martha Stewart quotes: the American businesswoman, writer, and television personality talks business, passion, and success.
“All the things I love is what my business is all about.”
“It’s sort of the American way to go up and down the ladder, maybe several times in a lifetime.”
“There is no single recipe for success. But there is one essential ingredient: passion.”
“Our passion is and should always be to make life better.”
“Once you realize that you have identified a passion, invest in yourself. Figure out what you need to know, what kind of experience and expertise you need to develop to do the things that you feel in your heart you will enjoy and that will sustain you both mentally and economically.”
“Every entrepreneur talks about the passion you have for your work, and I think that’s what’s missing with a lot of women in business.”
“If you learn something new every day, you can teach something new every day.”
“Study your strengths; then decide how hard you want to work.”
“Never make a big decision without sleeping on it.”
“I admire the courage and self-reliance it takes to start your own business and make it succeed.”
“Don’t be embarrassed by your achievements. Being an overachiever is nothing despicable. It is only admirable. Never lower your standards.”
“I think it’s very important that whatever you’re trying to make or sell or teach has to be basically good. A bad product and you know what? You won’t be here in 10 years.”
“I believe in a man and a woman being equal. I really believe that we can do anything we set our minds to.”
“I was a very good cook, and I knew I could build a business.”
“I’m not a sponge exactly, but I find that something I look at is a great opportunity for ideas.”
“I’m a maniacal perfectionist. And if I weren’t, I wouldn’t have this company. I have proven that being a perfectionist can be profitable and admirable when creating content across the board: in television, books, newspapers, radio, videos.”
“I like knowing about everything, and I think that really helps me in my business.”
“We met financial expectations for the quarter in a difficult economic environment. We also signed a two-year programming agreement with Home & Garden Television to launch two new cable television series, and launched the Martha Stewart Kids magazine. These initiatives provide future revenue and earnings growth for the brand and build long-term value for shareholders.”
“It is within everyone’s grasp to be a CEO.”
“For me it’s a dedication to your real interests. It’s an ability to be open-minded. Without an open-minded mind, you can never be a great success. The great artists have been open-minded, even though they may seem, like Picasso, to be very directed; you can be directed and open-minded at the same time. I think you have to be really intensely serious about your work, but not so serious that you can’t see the lightness that may also involve your life. You have to have that lightness too. You have to not be so heavy-handed and so ostentatious. It’s very important not to be.”
“I have sometimes, probably, forgotten – and I know I have – to pat the back of someone or say thank you enough times… and I wish I were just the nicest, nicest, nicest person on earth. But I am a business person. If I were a man, no one would ever say that I was arrogant.”
“Life is too complicated not to be orderly.”
“I try to seek out and surround myself with people who just percolate fresh, original, and creative ideas.”
“So the pie isn’t perfect? Cut it into wedges. Stay in control, and never panic.”
“I love the challenge of starting at zero every day and seeing how much I can accomplish.”
“In New York, I get a tremendous amount of ideas by looking at the paintings and the sculptures, adapting artistic endeavors to crafts. There is a lot of inspiration around us that we can see every day and turn into projects.”
“You should never accept what can be offered to you if you feel it can be improved.”
“It’s all about new techniques – simplifying old techniques and consolidating steps. Making things go faster, but not worse.”
“Getting over those unexpected hurdles may not be exactly enjoyable, but ultimately I believe that such challenges and the solutions we find give us more confidence. They teach us with common sense and determination we can turn what looks like a disaster into a triumph.”
“I was a very curious person because of my parents. They encouraged me to be as curious about as many things as I wanted.”
“Over the years, I learned so much from mom. She taught me about the importance of home and history and family and tradition. She also taught me that aging need not mean narrowing the scope of your activities and interests or a diminution of the great pleasures to be had in the everyday.”
“I never pay attention to age or gender. There are just too many other more important things to consider.”
“Many of my executives have worked with me since the beginning. I can be fair and decisive and encouraging, as well as demanding.”
“I find that when you have a real interest in life and a curious life, that sleep is not the most important thing.”
“The cocktail party is probably America’s greatest contribution to the world of entertaining.”
“I think baking cookies is equal to Queen Victoria running an empire. There’s no difference in how seriously you take the job, how seriously you approach your whole life.”
“I catnap now and then, but I think while I nap, so it’s not a waste of time.”
“Franchesca and Sharkey, my French bulldogs, have their own blog. And they are brilliant at it.”
“Bloggers create kind of a popularity. But they are not the experts, and we have to understand that.”
“I live in the same house I’ve lived in for 25 years. I haven’t gone off and bought mansions. Even though my subject is living, living in a mansion wouldn’t do for my readers. I have to keep my credibility alive with my readers, so we’re in the same place. I just make that place nicer and nicer. And that’s a secret. People don’t know that. People think, oh, she lives in this fabulous place, but it’s the same old place.”
“Your home should be a reflection of how you want to live right now, and for the next phase of your life.”
“Every Thanksgiving table should be blessed with the presence of a long-married pair who bring out the best in each other, are completely enamored despite their differences, and leave every other guest thinking, ‘I’ll have what they’re having.’ Our holiday pies honor such so there’s a pleasant mix of textures and flavors in every bite. No matter how you slice partnerships, each spotlighting the perfect marriage of crust and filling these six irresistible desserts, there is a whole lot to love.”
“I am always asking myself how I can improve the lives of my customers, my colleagues, my shareholders, my family, and my friends.”
“When you write a book, you’re an expert, and people look at you in a different way.”
“The more you adapt, the more interesting you are.”
After you finish Martha’s quotes, check out Diane Sawyer’s too.
