If you’re curious about what drives one of the most influential tech leaders of our time, you’ll enjoy reading this collection of Elon Musk’s 50 best quotes. From reflections on innovation to thoughts on perseverance, these quotes offer a glimpse into the successful mindset of a man who continues to shape our future with every venture. If you enjoy this page, you can find more quotes by famous people here.
- “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” – Elon Musk
- “Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up.” – Elon Musk
- “I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.” – Elon Musk
- “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.” – Elon Musk
- “It’s OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket.” – Elon Musk
- “Some people don’t like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.” – Elon Musk
- “The first step is to establish that something is possible; then probability will occur.” – Elon Musk
- “If you get up in the morning and think the future is going to be better, it is a bright day. Otherwise, it’s not.” – Elon Musk
- “Being an entrepreneur is like eating glass and staring into the abyss of death.” – Elon Musk
- “I could either watch it happen or be a part of it.” – Elon Musk
- “If something’s important enough you should try. Even if the probable outcome is failure.” – Elon Musk
- “I think most people can learn a lot more than they think they can. They sell themselves short without trying.” – Elon Musk
- “There are really two types of people. People who are compelled to try to do it. And people who are not.” – Elon Musk
- “I take the position that I’m always to some degree wrong, and the aspiration is to be less wrong.” – Elon Musk
- “People should pursue what they’re passionate about. That will make them happier than pretty much anything else.” – Elon Musk
- “It is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.” – Elon Musk
- “You have to be pretty driven to make it happen. Otherwise, you will just make yourself miserable.” – Elon Musk
- “I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.” – Elon Musk
- “Life is too short for long-term grudges.” – Elon Musk
- “I don’t create companies for the sake of creating companies, but to get things done.” – Elon Musk
- “My motivation for all my companies has been to be involved in something that I thought would have a significant impact on the world.” – Elon Musk
- “I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact.” – Elon Musk
- “I think it is important to have a good framework for thinking. It’s like a mental toolbox.” – Elon Musk
- “Patience is a virtue, and I’m learning patience. It’s a tough lesson.” – Elon Musk
- “Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time.” – Elon Musk
- “If you’re trying to create a company, it’s like baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion.” – Elon Musk
- “There’s a tremendous bias against taking risks. Everyone is trying to optimize their ass-covering.” – Elon Musk
- “Starting and growing a business is as much about the innovation, drive, and determination of the people behind it as it is about the product they sell.” – Elon Musk
- “The path to the CEO’s office should not be through the CFO’s office, and it should not be through the marketing department. It needs to be through engineering and design.” – Elon Musk
- “I think you should always bear in mind that entropy is not on your side.” – Elon Musk
- “Great companies are built on great products.” – Elon Musk
- “If you’re co-founder or CEO, you have to do all kinds of tasks you might not want to do… If you don’t do your chores, the company won’t succeed… No task is too menial.” – Elon Musk
- “I say something, and then it usually happens. Maybe not on schedule, but it usually happens.” – Elon Musk
- “I don’t think it’s a good idea to plan to sell a company.” – Elon Musk
- “Really pay attention to negative feedback and solicit it, particularly from friends. Hardly anyone does that, and it’s incredibly helpful.” – Elon Musk
- “We’re going to make it happen. As God is my bloody witness, I’m hell-bent on making it work.” – Elon Musk
- “I don’t spend my time pontificating about high-concept things; I spend my time solving engineering and manufacturing problems.” – Elon Musk
- “Land on Mars, a round-trip ticket – half a million dollars. It can be done.” – Elon Musk
- “If you need inspiring words, don’t do it.” – Elon Musk
- “Physics is a good framework for thinking. … Boil things down to their fundamental truths and reason up from there.” – Elon Musk
- “You get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of problems you solve.” – Elon Musk
- “I think it’s very important to actively seek out and listen very carefully to negative feedback.” – Elon Musk
- “When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars, people said, ‘Nah, what’s wrong with a horse?’ That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.” – Elon Musk
- “I always invest my own money in the companies that I create. I don’t believe in the idea of being a pure manager who doesn’t own stakes in the company.” – Elon Musk
- “Optimism, pessimism, fuck that; we’re going to make it happen. As God is my bloody witness, I’m hell-bent on making it work.” – Elon Musk
- “When you struggle with a problem, that’s when you understand it.” – Elon Musk
- “Any product that needs a manual to work is broken.” – Elon Musk
- “What makes innovative thinking happen?… I think it’s really a mindset. You have to decide.” – Elon Musk
- “Your mind is like a parachute, it doesn’t work if it is not open.” – Elon Musk
- “I think there should be regulations on social media to the degree that it negatively affects the public good.” – Elon Musk
