James Cash Penney

I do not believe in excuses. I believe in hard work as the prime solvent of life’s problems.

The art of effective listening is essential to clear communication, and clear communication is necessary to management success.

The keystone of successful business is cooperation. Friction retards progress.

Salesmanship, too, is an art; the perfection of its technique requires study and practice.

Determine to do some thinking for yourself. Don’t live entirely upon the thoughts of others. Don’t be an automaton.

Theory is splendid but until put into practice, it is valueless.

As a rule, we find what we look for; we achieve what we get ready for.

Chris and I came from nothing. We’re selfmade. We started with nothing, so we have nothing to lose. And we have everything to gain.

My dream was to have a steady job, was not to be on the road, to exist like a guy that goes to work as a mechanic or a carpenter and knows he’s gonna have a job.

Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make.

[To his ex-entertainment lawyer Eric Eisner who resigned from the presidency of The David Geffen Company in 1991 just as a deal was about to be made with some Japanese] Keep your stock. [Eric sold it.]

If you can run one business well, you can run any business well.

I think shareholders are the great evil of this modern world.

Did I have a problem with lying to get the job? None whatsoever.

There are people who are really good managers, people who can manage a big organization, and then there are people who are very analytic or focused on strategy. Those two types don’t usually tend to be in the same person. I would put myself much more in the latter camp.

While I love technology and social media, a text or a tweet can never replace the real value of conversation.

Investors are visionaries in some respects – they look beyond the present.

Salesmanship, too, is an art; the perfection of its technique requires study and practice.

There should be rivalry between men and between business.

My mother taught me to love my work. I learned everything about business from her.

Although Mr. Edison was called ‘The Wizard’ of the electrical world and everyone thought that electricity was the coming thing, he actually encouraged me to go with my second car.