Business Degrees - Business Quotations from the Classics of Yesteryears --- Page - 1

This is a collection of evergreen quotes by famous poets and authors of earlier centuries. Though they were not intended to be business quotes, I have interpreted them in new light to see what business management principles can be learned from them.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
Hitch your wagon to a star.
The Lesson for Business Majors:
This reminds me of the once very 'in' concept of Business Process Reengineering. I understand this quote as basically encouraging us to have big goals (i.e. a step-function). Also, aim for lofty business goals, quality goals, and customer satisfaction goals.

Benjamin Franklin said:
Little strokes fell great oaks.
The Lesson for Business Majors:
You have heard that 'for want of a nail, the battle was lost.' In business, one needs to be constantly attempting to improve. Quality is not a goal, but a path. And great business results can result from continuously raising the bar, even by a little.

Benjamin Franklin said:
Plough deep while sluggards sleep.
The Lesson for Business Majors:
The difference between businesses that are winner and businesses that are losers is that the winners are willing to go that extra mile. And we do know that 'there is no traffic on the extra mile,' don't we?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
Every hero becomes a bore at last.
The Lesson for Business Majors:
Though business assets, such as their brand values can become eternal, we must realize that change will become necessary in most areas of business. Even something that causes great success today might need to be discarded tomorrow.

Alexander Pope said:
Achilles absent was Achilles still.
The Lesson for Business Majors:
Just because you cannot hear your customer complain, does not mean that the customer is happy. A good business manager is able to peel several layers of the organizational onion and see the truth.

John Keats said:
Hear ye not the hum, Of mighty workings?
The Lesson for Business Majors:
An astute business manager realizes that there are products, processes, and people that aren't high profile, but still integral to business success. Being superficially attracted to that which makes the most noise could be the undoing of your business.

Alexander Pope said:
And what he greatly thought, he nobly dar’d.
The Lesson for Business Majors:
There is a very big chasm between planning and execution. There is no denying the value of great ideas and vision. But, the true value of ideas and vision can be uncovered only by implementation and brass-tacks.