JOAQUIN RODRIGO Composer — 1901 - 1999
"In life you can never be first in anything...
I only aspire to be an improved Joaquín Rodrigo"
"How would I like to die?
Under no circumstances"
Most famous for “Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra”
BRIGHAM YOUNG — June 1, 1801 - August 29, 1877
“This is the Place”
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah Territory.
AYN RAND — 1905 - 1982
“Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.”
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism.
DR STEPHEN R. COVEY — 1932
“My one point is, make your mind up now, that you will make a difference.”
Excerpt of a Speech by Dr. Stephen R. Covey given at the 107th Annual Commencement of Southern Utah University May 6, 2006.
HERB ALLISON,
“Live by your own personal compass and speak openly and honestly.”
Spoke at Stanford's GSB commencement ceremony June, 2011.
ALAN MULALLY — 1945 - CEO Ford
“I spoke to a room with over 500 bankers," he recalls. "Why did they give us the money? Because we had a plan."
Alan Roger Mulally (born August 4, 1945) is an American engineer and business executive who is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ford Motor Company. Ford, which had been struggling during the late-2000s recession, returned to profitability under Mulally and was the only American major car manufacturer to avoid government-sponsored bankruptcy.
Mulally was previously executive vice president of Boeing and the CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA). He began his career with Boeing as an engineer in 1969 and was largely credited with BCA's resurgence against Airbus in the mid-2000s.
STEVE JOBS — 1955 - 2011
“Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.”
Source: “Steve Jobs' Final Moments” by Mona Simpson, The New York Times. These were his last words before he slipped the bonds of earth October 5, 2011.
“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what's next.”
“Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.”
Stanford commencement speech, June 2005
“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Stanford commencement speech, June 2005
“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me… Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful... that's what matters to me.”
May 25, 1993
WAYNE GRETZKY — 1961
“You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.”
Wayne Gretzky, born January 26, 1961 is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League, and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever".
WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY — 1925 - 2008
“I get satisfaction of three kinds. One is creating something, one is being paid for it and one is the feeling that I haven't just been sitting on my ass all afternoon.”
William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted.
1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for extensive vocabulary.
GORDEN B. HINKLEY — 1910 - 2008
"This is a season of a thousand opportunities. It is ours to grasp and move forward".
Gordon B. Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death. Considered a prophet, seer, and revelator by church members, Hinckley was the oldest person to preside over the church in its history.
“Life is to be enjoyed, not endured”
“Try a little harder to be a little better.”
“You have not failed until you quit trying.”
“Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others... By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.”
“Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.”
“In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.”
“It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out.
“Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great purpose in heart.”
“Mediocricy will never do. You are capable of something better.”
“The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired.”
“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.”
“If we could follow the slogan that says,‘Turn off the TV and open a good book’ we would do something of substance for a future generation.”
“You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others....”
ANONYMOUS:
“Carpe Diem” means “Seize the Day” (Carpe literally means "to pick, pluck, pluck off, cull, crop, gather", but Ovid used the word in the sense of, "to enjoy, seize, use, make use of".)
"Always Have Fun"
"Dream Big"
"Ask for What You Want"
"Dare To Take a Risk"
"Look for the Best In Everybody”
"Make Time for What Matters"
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY — October 17, 2011
“How you think is everything: Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.”
EDWARD R. MURROW — 1908 - 1965
“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.”
Edward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.
NAPOLEON HILL — 1883 - 1970
Author of “Think and Grow Rich” - First Edition: 1937
“The man who does more than he is paid will soon be paid for more than he does”
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”
“Action is the real measure of intelligence.”
“All achievements, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea.”
“All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination. Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind-energy into accomplishment and wealth.”
“Before success comes in any man's life, he's sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and the most logical thing to do is to quit. That's exactly what the majority of men do.”
“Big pay and little responsibility are circumstances seldom found together.”
“Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not, to put this plan into action.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN — 1705 - 1790
“If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality.”
NIDO QUBEIN — 1948 -
“Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.”
“One of the greatest reasons people cannot mobilize themselves is
that they try to accomplish great things.
(therefore, the): Most worthwhile achievements are the result of many little things done in a single direction.”
Nido Qubein is the president of High Point University, author, motivational speaker and businessman.