The saying goes “experience is the best teacher”, and it really is. They who are brave enough to explore uncharted waters, venture off the beaten path, and go against the flow stand to reap the rewards of novel discoveries or be the first to say “this is a really bad idea”. Of course, courage does not come easily to everyone and for good reason. The fear of losing more than you stand to gain, having worked so hard to be where you are just before you take the leap, is a very human thing to feel. This applies to would-be entrepreneurs who are just starting out who have no experience to back them up, and even seasoned businessmen engaged in make-or-break decision making. That in mind, we’ve decided to bring those years of experience to you in the form of quotes by the major inspirational figures in the business world.

Image Source: Time

“Success is a lousy teacher”

-Bill Gates

The reverse of sorts goes “Learn from your mistakes”, and it does make more sense to do that. There isn’t much to learn from success, and making it the point from where you learn would limit your ability to improve. However, mistakes make for a better avenue for learning by focusing on where you didn’t do well, or where you could do better.

Image Source: CNBC

“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life

-Steve Jobs

This quote is quite the double whammy. In a nutshell, the first half deals with maintaining that drive to keep learning, expanding, improving and to never be satisfied with how things are. The second half is about suspending that belief of knowing your limits, and to keep shooting for those impossible dreams and ambitions.

Image Source: Independent

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

-Walt Disney

Nothing’s ever going to get done if you make plans but never act on them. This could be because you’re too afraid of how things would turn out, or just outright procrastination. Either way, Walt’s quote strikes the problem at its core and shows the right way to go about fixing it: action.

Image Source: CBS News

“Do the one thing you think you cannot do.”

-Oprah Winfrey

We all have reservations on what we think we’re capable of doing. Sometimes we think we aren’t cut out to speak in public. Other times we think we can’t take on a leading role. We think we can’t do things before we even try. Oprah’s saying powerfully dispels our inhibitions and lack of self-confidence and drives us to do what we think is impossible for ourselves to do.

Image Source: Forbes

“The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at doing what they most enjoy.”

-Malcolm Forbes

This is for the people who give in to the notion that making a job out of what you’re passionate about will ruin it for you. But that just isn’t the case, as sometimes the negative things you may end up feeling aren’t because of the thing you’re passionate about and more on the external factors revolving around it like the need to earn steady income or the pressure to do it to please others instead of yourself. Making a living out of what you’re most passionate about has so many benefits to it like actually enjoying what you do, and being interested in doing and improving your craft.

As an added bonus, here’s another saying by Mark Twain that goes “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you’ll never work another day in your life”.