Ray Kroc Quotes

“Achievement must be made against the possibility of failure, against the risk of defeat. It is no achievement to walk a tightrope laid flat on the floor. Where there is no risk, there can be no pride in achievement and, consequently, no happiness. The only way we can advance is by going forward, individually and collectively, in the spirit of the pioneer. We must take the risks involved in our free enterprise system. This is the only way in the world to economic freedom. There is no other way.”

“Adversity can strengthen you if you have the will to grind it out.”

“All money means to me is a pride in accomplishment.”

“Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?”

“Creativity is a highfalutin' word for the work I have to do between now and Tuesday.”

“Happiness is not a tangible thing, it's a byproduct - a byproduct of achievement.”

“I guess to be an entrepreneur you have to have a large ego, enormous pride and an ability to inspire others to follow your lead.”

“I have always believed that each man makes his own happiness and is responsible for his own problems.”

“I was an overnight success all right, but 30 years is a long, long night.”

“If any of my competitors were drowning, I'd stick a hose in their mouth and turn on the water. It is ridiculous to call this an industry. This is not. This is rat eat rat, dog eat dog. I'll kill 'em, and I'm going to kill 'em before they kill me. You're talking about the American way - of survival of the fittest.”

“If my competitor were drowning I'd stick a hose in his mouth and turn on the water.”

“If you believe in it, and you believe in it hard, it is impossible to fail.”

“If you do it first class and you don't compromise values, and you don't compromise quality, and you don't compromise service, and you don't compromise cleanliness, then everybody else who is the competitor has got to play catch-up.”

“If you work just for money, you'll never make it, but if you love what you're doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.”

“If you're not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business.”

“If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean.”

“It is no achievement to walk a tightrope laid flat on the floor.”

“It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun.”

“It's easy to have principles when you're rich. The important thing is to have principles when you're poor.”

“Look after the customer and the business will take care of itself.”

“Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.”

“McDonald's is a people business, and that smile on that counter girl's face when she takes your order is a vital part of our image.”

“No self-respecting pitcher throws the same way to every batter and no self-respecting salesman makes the same pitch to every client.”

“None of us is as good as all of us.”

“Take calculated risks. Act boldly and thoughtfully. Be an agile company.”

“That's the name of the game ... pleasing the customer. If we ever lose sight of that fact, we've lost the ball game.”

“The definition of salesmanship is the gentle art of letting the customer have it your way.”

“The first dollar is the most you will get if you don't love what you are doing.”

“The french fry is my canvas.”

“The key to success is being in the right place at the right time, recognizing that you are there, and taking action!”