Dan Peña Quotes

“A CEO’s most important task: Never stop becoming qualified for the job.”

“A deal has to sound good before it is good.”

“A deal is either hot — or it's not.”

“A famous man once said, ‘A sure formula for failure is to try and please everyone.’ Some might say I built a career on doing just the opposite of pleasing everyone.”

“A good plan executed today is better than a great plan executed next week.”

“A guarantor is a fool with a pen.”

“A man who dwells on his past, robs his future.”

“Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Just because something has never been done doesn't mean it can't be done. The fact you have never seen or heard something is not proof that it doesn't exist.”

“All my life, I was always in a hurry. I was always hustling!”

“All our lives we are told by the pundits our goals are not realistic. Our dreams are too far-fetched. Our expectations are too high!”

“All super high performance people go against conventional wisdom.”

“All you need is the desire, passion, and will to fulfil your dreams!”

“Always maintain your personal relationships on the same plane upon which they were formed. True friends will rejoice in your professional successes. Allow them to enjoy them with you. Never reassess their personal and professional lives in terms of your own.”

“Always respect the individual on the other side of the deal. He is not as stupid as you may think. And you're not as smart as you think.”

“Always shoot for the moon. Even if you don’t hit the bulls-eye, you’ll at least get 80 percent.”

“Always tell the truth, no matter what. The truth will set you free!”

“Always, always, always pay yourself - and your employees - first! Through all economic cycles.”

“Any problem solved will be replaced immediately by a larger more complicated one!”

“Ask and you shall receive.”

“Become more disciplined. The pain of discipline hurts less than the pain of regret.”

“Being all you can be is possible for anyone, but super success is not for everyone. Period.”

“Build something that is worthy and stands for something to someone.”

“Business deals start and end with people — the interaction of flesh and blood, bone and sinew, heart and mind, emotion and soul.”

“Business opportunities abound - but formidable barriers exist. And the biggest barrier is psychological. It is you.”

“Business should not run smoothly while you're making your Quantum Leap. Chaos is normal. The business on quiet waters is still in the harbor.”

“Cash only prolongs death. It doesn’t avoid it.”

“Choose your battles. No one should sue over every wrong.”

“Conventional wisdom is almost always wrong.”

“Do what 98% of others won’t.”

“Don't be a loser.”