I nearly failed when Virgin was in its infancy; I nearly failed in the early 1980s, and, of course, I have nearly died more than once trying to achieve a world record for boating or ballooning. But through a combination of luck and planning, both Virgin and I are still here.

There’s people that tried to celebrate when I lost that got nothing to do with it. That’s not the sign of a champion.

Well, I think we tried very hard not to be overconfident, because when you get overconfident, that’s when something snaps up and bites you.

I think we have a good chance of surviving long enough to colonize the solar system.

You must capture and keep the heart of the original and supremely able man before his brain can do its best.

Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.

I think as long as I do a good job and put in all my effort to proving that I’m worth it, then everything should be fine.

I feel that the best companies are started not because the founder wanted a company but because the founder wanted to change the world… If you decide you want to found a company, you maybe start to develop your first idea. And hire lots of workers.

There are times when you throw an interception and you’re beating yourself up.

Success has always been a great liar.

I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‚Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.‘

As a producer, as a CEO of Hartbeat Productions, I am making deals to put my company in place to win, to put my staff to work so that while all this stuff is going on, they’re in the kitchen cooking. So it’s understanding the longevity of the entertainment business; you get out of it what you put into it.

If you get something right, you really feel it, right in your chest, on stage. I think it’s an incomparable experience.

You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.

When Paul Allen and I started Microsoft over 30 years ago, we had big dreams about software. We had dreams about the impact it could have.

Barack Obama would not be President if he were dark skin. You know what I mean? That’s just the truth. I might not be as successful as I am now if I was dark skin.

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.

The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.

No untroubled day has ever dawned for me.

Successful people will always tell you you can do something. It’s the people who have never accomplished anything who will always discourage you from trying to achieve excellent things.

A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.

But, the thing is, since I always had my own little shop and direct access to the public, I’ve been able to build up a technique without marketing people ever telling me what the public wants.

We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough.

HartBeat Productions is a company established by me; it’s mine. I run it. I have employees.

To win a national championship, you’ve got to be a little lucky.

Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.

In other words, don’t expect to always be great. Disappointments, failures and setbacks are a normal part of the lifecycle of a unit or a company and what the leader has to do is constantly be up and say ‚we have a problem, let’s go and get it‘.

People have to go through trials and tribulations to get where they at. Do your thing – continue to rock it – because obviously, God wants you here.

Fame is like a river, that beareth up things light and swollen, and drowns things weighty and solid.

I think there are a number of things that you can do to encourage your kids‘ dreams, but I do believe in speaking by experience of having a lot of help along the way, stumbling in the past. We’ve all stumbled, and we certainly all deserve to get up and walk again.

Eight years ago, you may remember Hillary and I were rivals for the Democratic nomination. We battled for a year and a half. Let me tell you, it was tough, because Hillary was tough. I was worn out. She was doing everything I was doing, but just like Ginger Rogers, it was backwards in heels.

Bob Houghton is a great coach and I am confident that the national team will do well under him.

The biggest risk is not taking any risk… In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.

No sanction can stand against ignited minds.

Each year has been so robust with problems and successes and learning experiences and human experienes that a year is a lifetime at Apple. So this has been ten lifetimes.

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.

Fortitude is the marshal of thought, the armor of the will, and the fort of reason.

If you look at any Muslim society and you make a scale of how developed they are, and how successful the economy is, it’s a straight line. It depends on how much they emancipate their women.

Thirty-three-years-old, still creating art. It’s rage, it’s creativity, it’s pain, it’s hurt, but it’s the opportunity to still have my voice get out there through music.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

I know how to swim through backlash. I can tread water through backlash… If anything, that’s all giving me power.

Every successful businessman will have experienced set-backs and failures – they’re lying if they say they haven’t. Virgin has had some tremendously successful businesses and some that have not quite worked out. Virgin Cola springs to mind – the product wasn’t distinct enough from Coca-Cola.

I’d rather be a victor than a victim.

The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.

I wonder how many times people give up just before a breakthrough – when they are on the very brink of success.

I would like to fly in space. Absolutely. That would be cool. I used to just do personally risky things, but now I’ve got kids and responsibilities, so I can’t be my own test pilot. That wouldn’t be a good idea. But I definitely want to fly as soon as it’s a sensible thing to do.

Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course.

Any of us can be happy and have a good attitude when everything is going our way. But I believe it’s the real test of your character and of your faith to say, ‚Things are not going our way, but I’m still being good to people; I’m still attending church; I still have a good attitude.‘

Be willing to have it so. Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.

No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected.

Life is a constant oscillation between the sharp horns of dilemmas.

It’s a piece of cake until you get to the top. You find you can’t stop playing the game the way you’ve always played it.

You aren’t going to find anybody that’s going to be successful without making a sacrifice and without perseverance.

We were poor. But my mom never accepted that. She worked hard to become a residential contractor – got her master’s with honors at the University of New Orleans. I used to go to every class with her. Her father was my paternal figure.

America is another name for opportunity.

Get place and wealth, if possible with grace; if not, by any means get wealth and place.

If you carefully consider what you want to be said of you in the funeral experience, you will find your definition of success.

With Kansas, I had a four-year deal. The initial two months were real tough. I had to adjust a lot. Then, things started looking up.