American Quotes

If you look at the history of the U.S., we were an empire long before we were a nation.

Given the level of anti-Americanism in the world, given the level of frustration with the United States throughout the Muslim world, you've got a homegrown attack or you have a nuclear explosion in the air that is not a test somewhere. Those are still the biggest threats out there.

A lot of the changes are so gradual that they don't even qualify as news, or even as interesting: they're so mundane that we just take them for granted. But history shows that it's the mundane changes that are more important than the dramatic 'newsworthy' events.

The first thing to recognize not just about Afghanistan but about any poor undeveloped country is that as big as it looks on the map, it's much bigger when you're there.

Americans are opting out of public venues like the playground and the sidewalk for private venues like the healthclub and the mall. We're living our lives inside one form of corporation or another.

People mature with age and experience. I hope I more resemble a fine wine than bad vinegar.

Wearing a bow tie is a statement. Almost an act of defiance.

It got so ridiculous that I was like, there's no way this is going to last.

I knew that if I concentrated on AdBrite, I could probably make a big company out of it.

Television, despite its enormous presence, turns out to have added pitifully few lines to the communal memory.

The dull and stupid have a much easier time of it.

Too many people let others stand in their way and don't go back for one more try.

The Martha Stewart trial makes clear how far women have risen in the business world. America can be proud of our equal-opportunity prosecution and conviction.

The goal of winning is not losing two times in a row.

The commune movement is part of a reawakening of belief in the possibilities for utopia that existed in the nineteenth century and exist again today, a belief that by creating the right social institution, human satisfaction and growth can be achieved.

One of the symptoms of a losing streak is a turnover of top executives. It's a revolving door.

Mindless habitual behavior is the enemy of innovation.

Leaders must pick causes they won't abandon easily, remain committed despite setbacks, and communicate their big ideas over and over again in every encounter.

I've been looking at companies that are on a positive path vs. a negative path and I've come to use the language of sports, winning streaks and losing streaks.

Cheap labor is not going to be the way we compete in the United States. It's going to be brain power.

Ambivalence about family responsibilities has a long history in the corporate world.

To stay ahead, you must have your next idea waiting in the wings.

'No' is always an easier stand than 'Yes.'

Leaders must wake people out of inertia. They must get people excited about something they've never seen before, something that does not yet exist.

Companies used to be able to function with autocratic bosses. We don't live in that world anymore.

A great idea is not enough.

I was determined to achieve the total freedom that our history lessons taught us we were entitled to, no matter what the sacrifice.

The boomers' biggest impact will be on eliminating the term 'retirement' and inventing a new stage of life... the new career arc.

I've found that small wins, small projects, small differences often make huge differences.

Power is the ability to get things done.