Richard Branson is the man who, in the space of a little more than ten years, managed to turn a small music shop into a huge business spread across multiple markets and operating on all continents of the globe. But he’s also a man with a great many wise and inspirational things to say about life.

We put together a list of 40 quotes from this highly successful and ever optimistic businessman. On the surface it might seem like many of them are only relevant to entrepreneurs, but if you think about them more carefully, there’s a whole lot of sense here which anyone can make use of.

1. If you’re an entrepreneur yet you’ve never made a mistake, then you’re not really an entrepreneur.
2. If you don’t like what it is that you’re doing, then don’t do it.
3. I always saw business as no different from recreation. From time to time I forget where my work ends and my personal life begins.
4. Pride never stops me from recognising when I’m wrong.
5. I’m always happy when I experience bad customer service. It’s not that I’m a masochist. It’s just that my best ideas emerged when I see how badly others do things.
6. My readiness to listen to what other people have to say and take their ideas on board when they’re better than my own has undoubtedly helped me for the whole 40 years I’ve been a businessman.
7. There’s no room in business for thinking narrowly and conservatively. This just clips your wings; it makes you weak and incapable of making sense of what’s really going on.
8. Never let the word ’can’t’ stop you from pursuing your dreams and ideas.
9. For me, creating a business is something to be proud of — it means bringing together talented people and changing the lives of those around you.
10. Don’t be scared to take a calculated risk. You’ll never regret it if you take the chance.
11. It’s much better to promise little and give a lot than the other way round.
12. For me, there’s nothing worse than hearing my employees having to apologise for the way their employer has behaved.
13. In business, as in life, it’s very important to do good.
14. I prefer to speak with people face to face than to correspond with them through a screen.
15. I think that my greatest achievement is that I always tried to give people independence and the opportunity to feel responsible for what they’re doing. I’ve always been willing to push people to take their own risks and achieve their own goals.
16. I’ve tried my whole life to keep out of offices, and for the most part I work in one of three places: at home, on my yacht, or lying in a hammock.
17. Just remember: No one who’s at death’s door has ever sat there regretting that they spent too little time in the office!
18. I’m still a businessman even when I’m in my dressing gown. Wearing a suit has never magically endowed me with additional business skills.
19. In every business, every single leader from the CEO to the department manager should occasionally roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.
20. The top manager should always give out his email and phone number to his employees. They’ll never bother you unnecessarily, but they do know that they can come to you at any time if the situation demands it. That can have an important psychological effect.
21. A businessman shouldn’t see failure as some kind of negative experience. It’s just one part of a learning curve.
22. You aren’t lucky automatically. You have to work for it.
23. I never say, ’I can’t do that because I don’t know how it’s done.’ I will always try, and I won’t let stupid rules get in my way.
24. As soon as something stops giving me joy, I start thinking about making a change. Life’s too short to always feel and look unhappy.
25. My slogan is this: be happy, and money won’t be a problem.
26. At some point in life, you will definitely win, and at other times you will definitely lose. Just be happy when you win and don’t feel sorry for yourself when you lose. Never look back — you can never change the past. But you can learn from your mistakes.
27. If you’re starting a new business and you ask me what lesson I would share with you, it would be this: Behave decently in whatever you’re trying to do. Don’t ever deceive people.’
28. The main thing which I always aim for is to keep my word to whomever I gave it to.
29. Morality isn’t just an empty word. It has a great deal of meaning.
30. Business should improve and enrich people’s lives. If that’s not why it’s there then it shouldn’t exist.
31. Make friends with your enemies. This is a rule that works in business as much as it works in life.
32. One piece of success will not keep you going for your whole life.
33. You should treat other people like you treat yourself, or even better than you treat yourself.
34. Real leadership is to be found in the ability to clearly and calmly explain why a decision needs to be taken.
35. Money is a not a good indicator of success. Only fame is a worse indicator.
36. If you ask me what I believe in most of all, I’ll tell you: my family.
37. I’m a happy person. I laugh all the time. I love people, I love life, good jokes. I really believe that laughter is good for the soul.
38. My story really is just that — mine. The strategies which have worked for me won’t necessarily work for everyone.
39. I won’t stop until I drop.
40. I’m completely convinced that nothing in life is impossible.

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