Carlos Slim quotes: the Mexican billionaire’s best content.
“Firm and patient optimism always yields its rewards.”
“You cannot live without doing something.”
“Live the present intensely and fully, do not let the past be a burden, and let the future be an incentive. Each person forges his or her own destiny.”
“I don’t believe too much in luck. I believe in circumstances. I believe in work.”
“All times are good times for those who know how to work and have the tools to do so.”
“Work well done is not only a responsibility to yourselves and society; it is also an emotional need.”
“Success is not about doing things well or even very well, or being acknowledged by others. It is not an external opinion, but rather an internal status. It is the harmony between the soul and your emotions, which requires love, family, friendship, authenticity, and integrity.”
“I think the wealth should be reinvested to create more wealth. The fruit of wealth is income and it is important to develop the distribution of income.”
“Profitability is coming from productivity, efficiency, management, austerity, and the way to manage the business.”
“With good perspective of history we can have a better understanding of the past and present, and thus a clear vision of the future.”
“Focus on essentials and try not to get distracted and bogged down by things that don’t add value to the bottom line.”
“Staying occupied displaces preoccupation and problems, and when we face our problems, they disappear.”
“Do not allow negative feelings and emotions to control your mind. Emotional harm does not come from others; it is conceived and developed within ourselves.”
“If you’re in business, you need to understand the environment. You need to have a vision of the future, and you need to know the past.”
“I think entrepreneurs can think long-term and find solutions and go in the way for long-term solutions and not short-term.”
“I learned from my father that you continue to invest and reinvest in your business – including during crises.”
“Courage taught me no matter how bad a crisis gets… any sound investment will eventually pay off.”
“Anyone who is not investing now is missing a tremendous opportunity.”
“When there is a crisis, that’s when some are interested in getting out and that’s when we are interested in getting in.”
“In business, you invest when things are not in good shape. When you invest at these times, you take a better position than your competitors. When there is a recession and your competition does not invest, they are giving you the advantage.”
“Mistakes are normal and human. Make them small, accept them, correct them, and forget them.”
“All businesses make mistakes. The trick is to avoid large ones.”
“Learn from failure and let success be the silent incentive.”
“Competition makes you better – always, always makes you better – even if the competitor wins.”
“When you are convinced what to do and what you need to do, it’s not hard to do that.”
“Choose the right employees and then set them loose.”
“You cannot have people in your organization who are pessimists. They take you to mediocrity.”
“When we decide to do something, we do it quickly.”
“Technology is going to transform people’s lives and society everywhere in the world. I spend most of my time studying new technologies. My main task is to understand what’s going on and try to see where we can fit in.”
“The key is the internet. The United States is by far the most advanced country in this new digital culture, so we have to be there. The internet is the heart of this new civilization, and telecommunications are the nervous system, or circulatory system.”
“In this new wave of technology, you can’t do it all yourself, you have to form alliances.”
“I’ve always said that the better off you are, the more responsibility you have for helping others. Just as I think it’s important to run companies well, with a close eye to the bottom line, I think you have to use your entrepreneurial experience to make corporate philanthropy effective.”
“It’s very important for leaders in business to work to create human capital, a team that has the same sense of purpose and alignment.”
“Money is not a goal. The goal is to make companies grow, develop, be competitive, be in different areas, be efficient to have a great human team inside the company.”
“I think one of the big errors people are making right now is thinking that old-style businesses will be obsolete, when actually they will be an important part of this new civilization. Some retail groups are introducing e-commerce and think that the bricks are no longer useful. But they will continue to be important.”
“I am convinced that all this poverty in Mexico and in Latin America, like it’s happening in China, is the opportunity to grow. It’s an opportunity for investment; it’s an economic activity and to take out poverty is the best investment any person can do in any place.”
“Our concept is more to accomplish and solve things, rather than giving – that is, not going around like Santa Claus. Poverty isn’t solved with donations.”
“The only way you finish with poverty is with jobs.”
“I think that anything that has privileges has responsibility and all people that are clear about their responsibility have compromise.”
“When you give, do not expect to receive. Fragrance clings to the hand that gives the rose.”
“Most people try to make a better world for our children when what they should be doing is making better children for our world.”
“People need to feel very good about their achievements. They get pride from what they are doing.”
“When you live for others’ opinions, you are dead. I don’t want to live thinking about how I’ll be remembered.”
“Well, when I was very young, maybe 12 years, I began to make investments.”
“Then I understand compound interest in those times and then I think at 14 or something like that, or 13, I bought stocks. I follow investment, but also my father, he began to make – we have order with the money. In Mexico, we say you have money for the week to spend.”
“At 25, I made many companies. I was thinking more like a businessman or entrepreneur than a CEO. I created many companies, small companies, medium companies. I tried to be involved in many kinds of activities, in finance, in real estate, in mining.”
“You should have more time for you during all of your life – not when you’re 65 and retired.”
“With three work days a week, we would have more time to relax; for quality of life.”
“What is most valuable in life does not cost anything but is very precious.”
“The truth is, you leave this world with nothing. What you are is a temporary administrator, and you must administer well… the wealth in your care, and generate more. The surplus can be used to do many things for people.”
“Life’s road is very long, but it is traveled fast.”
If you liked these, also see Larry Ellison’s advice.
