40 Inspirational Quotes on Branding, Business, Design, Copywriting… and Life!

 

Inspirational quotes are sprinkled throughout this website. But in this blog post, you can find over 40 branding quotes, as well as quotes on business, design and copywriting. I hope you get as much out of these as I have!

“Stay away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that. But the truly great make you feel that you can be great, too.” -Mark Twain

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” ―Apple, Inc.

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” ―Stephen R. Covey

“A problem is often half-solved when it is clearly stated.” ―Dorothea Brande

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ―Leonardo da Vinci       

“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.” ―John Maeda   

“The keys to brand success are self-definition, transparency, authenticity and accountability.” ―Simon Mainwaring

 “Marketing is not a battle of products, it’s a battle of perceptions.” – The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Al Ries and Jack Trout

“Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.” ―David Packard

“Customers must recognize that you stand for something.” ―Howard Schultz, Starbucks

“The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but instead seeing with new eyes.” ―Marcel Proust

 “One of the biggest responsibilities of management is to look after the corporate DNA.” ―Andrew Rolfe, CEO, Pret A Manger

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” ―Warren Buffet

“Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind.” ―Walter Landor

“If design isn’t profitable, then it’s art.” ―Henrik Fiskar

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said” ―Peter Drucker

 “People tend to play in their comfort zone, so the best things are achieved in a state of surprise, actually.” ―Brian Eno

 “Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” ―Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”―Plato

 “Any damn fool can put on a deal, but it takes a genius, faith and perseverance to create a brand.” ―David Ogilvy

 “Mass advertising can help build brands, but authenticity is what makes them last. If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.” -Howard Schultz, Starbucks

“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn a reputation by trying to do hard things well.” ―Jeff Bezos

“Customers buy on price because they can’t find extraordinary quality, convenience, service and value.” – Warren Greshes, Supercharged Selling

 “If I’d ask my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse.” – Henry Ford

 “Success means never letting the competition define you, instead you have to define yourself based on a point of view you care deeply about.” ―Tom Chappell, Tom’s of Maine

“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” ―Doug Larson

“Four steps to achievement: Plan purposefully. Prepare prayerfully. Proceed positively. Pursue persistently.” – William A. Ward

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” ―Calvin Coolidge

“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” ―Doug Larson

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”―Plato

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.” ―Albert Schweitzer

“None of us is as smart as all of us.” ―Ken Blanchard

 “Everything in writing begins with language. Language begins with listening.” ―Jeanette Winterson

 “Great stories happen to those who can tell them. ” ―Ira Glass

 “You cannot not communicate.” ―Paul Watzlawick, Psychologist & Philosopher

 “One of the biggest responsibilities of management is to look after the corporate DNA.” ―Andrew Rolfe, CEO, Pret A Manger

 “So sure, start with a slogan. But don’t bother wasting any time on it if you’re merely going for catchy. Aim for true instead.” ―Seth Godin

“I am irresistible, I say, as I put on my designer fragrance. I am a merchant banker, I say, as I climb out of my BMW. I am a juvenile lout, I say, as I pour an extra strong lager, I am handsome, I say, as I put on my Levi jeans.” ―John Kay

A lady, sitting next to Raymond Loewy at dinner, struck up a conversation.
‘Why’, she asked ‘did you out two Xs in Exxon?’
‘Why ask?’ he asked
‘Because’, she said, ‘I couldn’t help noticing?’
‘Well’, he responded, ‘that’s the answer.’
―Source: Alan Fletcher, The Art of Looking Sideways

 “Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or you will find customers buying from them, not you.” – Mark Cuban, Co-founder, HDNET

“You cannot sell a man who isn’t listening; word of mouth is the best medium of all; and dullness won’t sell your product, but neither will irrelevant brilliance.” – Bill Bernbach DDB Advertising

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I’d be delighted it if you sent me some of your own favorite quotes. Whether about branding and business or broader life themes, please consider me all ears.  I’m interested in any and as many of the quotes you’ve found valuable and meaningful that you care to share. Just drop me a note! Quotes are such a great way to get to know people, to share lessons learned and begin to identify points of common ground. Air quotes, on the other hand…

Again, I’d love to hear from you. For real.