Steve Wynn quotes: on the meaning of money, who wants to hang around poor people (hint: ain’t nobody), how to thrive in a luxury business, and more.
“In business or in life, focus on the things over which you do have some control. And don’t fret about all the other problems. Most of the time, they don’t come true anyway!”
“I say don’t overreact; cool your jets. Focus on things that you can control: your business, your employees’ welfare, your guests, and the quality of the product that you dish up. Do that, keep your chin down, pay attention to business, and the sun will come up tomorrow. That’s the way I figure it.”
“Most people I know that are successful have a few things in common that are undeniable: driving ambition, and they have applied that to something they’re good at, that they love doing… and they are fun to be around, especially when they’re talking about their passion.”
“Other people’s successes are good news – for them and for you. Good for you because they show you a way to go.”
“If you’ve got a good self-image, you can deal with handicaps.”
“The strongest force in this earth is something that affects your self-esteem.”
“Change is not threatening.”
“How can you be sure? How can you be positive? How can anybody? Well you can’t in this world. What you can be sure of is that in the end, honest people will do the right thing.”
“Getting things straight in your head is a major achievement because there’s so much clutter out there. You’ve got to push aside the static to really hear the music.”
“Posturing is counterproductive. Posturing only works if things are screwed up.”
“Keep it simple. Tell the truth. People can smell the truth.”
“If you don’t have a voice that forces you back to basics, you’re a dangerous person. Or to put it another way: you’re at risk, and the people with you are at risk. I’m not a daredevil. I don’t fly without a safety net.”
“If you run a business, if you are responsible for a lot of people, you come to grips with the reality that you have to have discipline. You have to protect the enterprise in order to take care of the employees. So, therefore, you can’t be wasteful. You can’t squander things, or you jeopardize other people.”
“Keeping customers is about the experience, and the employees control the culture and temperature of the business. Never forget that.”
“Here we start with one question, ‘Who are these people and what do they want?’ The answer controls everything we do. We respond to the emotional and psychological desires of our visitors.”
“What we know about the destination resort business is clearly established. But it’s all about one thing, and one thing only. All of the razzmatazz and jazz we hear about facilities and everything else doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. It’s customer experience that determines the longevity and endurance of these enterprises.”
“My organization, my colleagues and I, are paid to run hotels in good times and fair times. We’re professionals. That’s what we do. I don’t give a damn about the short-term market implications.”
“This is what you need to do in a luxury business: look for people who will like being there every day.”
“We recruit our people for personality. We look for the people person, with innate warmth, sweetness, and intelligence. These are the people who are sending your message out to the customers and potential customers, so we recruit for personality first and foremost.”
“If you can make someone feel good about themselves, they will love you for it. They will be loyal to you.”
“Keep a strong balance sheet, don’t get over-leveraged, and try to protect the security of your employees.”
“Before anything else, first let’s try and get our arms around an idea, and then we’ll get the stuff.”
“The greatest thing that ever happened to me in my life was being allowed to do business in Macau and in China. I love it here. It has been the greatest single event in my commercial career. Period.”
“People that create jobs create tax payers, which benefits society as a whole.”
“I believe in Las Vegas. I think its best days are ahead of it.”
“Casino gambling is colorful and dramatic and theatrical.”
“Guys like me are job creators, and we don’t like having a bullseye painted on our back.”
“I’m happy to say that in my career I’ve created new jobs of about 150-200,000 in this valley. Which means if I complain about a traffic jam, I have no one to blame but myself.”
“I thrive in competitive environments. I’ve never been in a monopoly.”
“What excites me the most is working on new projects.”
“Anyone can make things that are beautiful; we need to make things that are remarkable.”
“I know that if something is instantly gratifying it will be repeated. All of us as adolescents remember that to be true.”
“This generation… they have a different attitude. Instead of sitting and watching something, they want to be a part of it – they’re very hedonistic and sensual.”
“Nobody likes being around poor people, especially poor people.”
“Money doesn’t make people happy. People make people happy.”
“Money is a way of expressing no compromise.”
“My father died during open-heart surgery on March 29 of my senior year in college. I was getting set to go to law school. I remember sitting in the waiting room when the doctor walked in. I said to myself, ‘The worst possible thing just happened. What will you do?'”
“The most impressive person I’ve ever met? Elaine Wynn is no slouch. She’s a much better person than me. But I’ve got her. Finders keepers, losers weepers. And it’s been 47 years.”
“I’m like everybody else: I’m semi-successful in my personal life. I have good days and bad days. Welcome to the club.”
“I get ashamed of myself on a regular basis, and I get proud of myself on occasions.”
“I am a self-made brat.”
“I had an excellent Ivy League education, and it gave me a long view of things.”
“There is a very fine line between being creatively inspired and being a person of conceit with money. Self-doubt, anxiety, are part of the game.”
“The effectiveness of our memory banks is determined not by the total number of facts we take in, but the number we wish to reject.”
“Washington is unpredictable these days.”
“I’ll trade glib for common sense any day.”
“It’s great to go out walking and have the whole world happen around you. I think I’ve written my last song from the inside of my car.”
“Let a real sun shine inside and burn away our sins! Fear not the actual time of day!”
“I’m a perfect example of someone who got lucky by being in the right place at the right time.”
Related: Donald Trump quotes.
