David Ogilvy

First, make yourself a reputation for being a creative genius. Second, surround yourself with partners who are better than you are. Third, leave them to go get on with it.

I notice increasing reluctance on the part of marketing executives to use judgment; they are coming to rely too much on research, and they use it as a drunkard uses a lamp post for support, rather than for illumination.

Advertising reflects the mores of society, but it does not influence them.

Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image.

Never write an advertisement which you wouldn’t want your family to read. You wouldn’t tell lies to your own wife. Don’t tell them to mine.

If you ever have the good fortune to create a great advertising campaign, you will soon see another agency steal it. This is irritating, but don’t let it worry you; nobody has ever built a brand by imitating somebody else’s advertising.

A world where men ran half our homes and women ran half our institutions would be just a much better world.

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.

Nations are great as they are prosperous as they are industrious as they are just.

We started learning ourselves, understanding ourselves, reading, researching, going around the world and looking at what was defined as the very best.

I believe that any stock that is sold should have real value as automobile or bushel of potatoes, and stock market should be run as a vegetable market.

You can’t tell me you can make any system or country work with low wages and high prices, and high wages with high prices don’t mean anything when the prices eat up the wages and don’t leave anything over.

Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough.

The main job of the entrepreneur is to define the mission, find and inspire the team, and lead.

I was the most productive when I was in a flex situation. Do not check for me for needless meetings.

Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule No.1.

Competition is the keen cutting edge of business, always shaving away at costs.

Every business is a monarchy with, not a man, but an idea as king.

Good publicity is preferable to bad, but from a bottom-line perspective, bad publicity is sometimes better than no publicity at all. Controversy, in short, sells.

If you find out what men want and give them that, you are pleasing them. If you find out what is good for them and give them that, you are performing a service. That’s what we are trying to do.

The way I run my business seems to be easier than the way I run my life.