Ross Perot

“Most new jobs won't come from our biggest employers. They will come from our smallest. We've got to do everything we can to make entrepreneurial dreams a reality.”

“Punishing honest mistakes stifles creativity. I want people moving and shaking the earth and they're going to make mistakes.”

“You really need to be on top of what you own, and you've got to be on top of your record-keeping. Imagine one day if a major bank is taken down and the records are gone.”

“You don't have to be the biggest to beat the biggest.”

“A weak currency is the sign of a weak economy, and a weak economy leads to a weak nation.”

“Half of this business is politics. As real estate developers, it's our job to go in there and get beat up.”

“I got to see the American Dream unfold in my living room.”

“The budget should be balanced, the treasury should be refilled, the public debt should be reduced and the arrogance of public officials should be controlled.”

“Eagles don't flock, you have to find them one at a time.”

“What I like about land is I can drive out and check on it. It doesn't go anywhere. It's hard to steal land.”

“Dad endorsed my learning to fly so he would have a live-in pilot, one he could get in touch with at any time.”

“If you see a snake, just kill it - don't appoint a committee on snakes.”

“Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering, and providing tremendous service to customers. Finally, business is a cobweb of human relationships.”

“Action is greater than writing. A good man is a nobler object of contemplation than a great author. There are but two things worth living for: to do what is worthy of being written; and to write what is worthy of being read.”

“I used to collect computer punch cards from the data centers.”

“Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.”

“If you can't stand a little sacrifice and you can't stand a trip across the desert with limited water, we're never going to straighten this country out.”

“War has rules, mud wrestling has rules - politics has no rules.”

“The only hard-and-fast rules a Perot must operate under are getting a sound education; being honest and ethical in our business dealings; treating the people who work for us with respect and dignity; and, finally, a Perot cannot be afraid to take risks when appropriate.”

“In plain Texas talk, it's 'do the right thing'”