David Geffen

You can’t do this! We have an arrangement! We have a contract!

Do any of us really have a clue? We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Or what word will come up in a conversation that will change our lives. You can be in the shower and scrubbing under your arm and find a lump that wasn’t there yesterday. I’m doing things here and now. Life is evolving. Every day life evolves.

[On Calvin Klein asking him ‘Why don’t you call it Geffen Records?’] People in the record business just don’t do that. They come up with names likes Asylum, Capricorn, or Island. [Calvin Klein said if you put your own name on the door ‘You’ll get laid more.’]

It’s very easy for me to thank everyone for the incredible contribution they’ve made to my life.

[On Joni Mitchell] If I didn’t talk to her for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t miss her for a minute.

I quickly figured out [that] the one ability I’d better have is to create relationships.

The problem with pity parties is very few people come, and those who do don’t bring presents.

Selling is essentially a transfer of feelings.

I urge people to learn from the mistakes of others.

Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

The greatest effort is not concerned with results.

My favorite writers are all Jews – David, Solomon, Matthew, Mark – well, you get the picture.

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream another dream.

I’ve never been terribly interested in why people give, because their motivation is rarely what it seems to be, and it’s almost never true altruism.

Every man loves what he is good at.

The character ethic, which I believe to be the foundation of success, teaches that there are basic principles of effective living, and that people can only experience true success and enduring happiness as they learn and integrate these principles into their basic character.

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.

How you see the future is much more important than what happened in your past.

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.

We are guided by outcomes, not ideology. We have a policy of principled realism, rooted in shared goals, interests, and values. That realism forces us to confront a question facing every leader and nation in this room. It is a question we cannot escape or avoid. We will slide down the path of complacency, numb to the challenges, threats, and even wars that we face. Or do we have enough strength and pride to confront those dangers today, so that our citizens can enjoy peace and prosperity tomorrow?

You cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way you see yourself.