James Cash Penney

Men are not great or small because of their material possessions. They are great or small because of what they are.

The greatest teacher I know is the job itself.

The men who have furnished me with my greatest inspiration have not been men of wealth, but men of deeds.

Every man must decide for himself whether he shall master his world or be mastered by it.

It is the service we are not obliged to give that people value most.

Luck is always the last refuge of laziness and incompetence.

What right have you, save service to the world, to think that other men’s labor should contribute to your gains?

I get my design inspiration from Christian Dior and Chanel.

Burdening people with debt is an old deal not a new deal.

The way out of the depression is to start spending and doing things.

What you say in advertising is more important than how you say it.

I live on a plane. I like to visit London. If I had to think where I could live if not Moscow, London would be my first choice, and second would be New York. In Moscow I feel most comfortable. I’m used to four different seasons; it’s difficult for people in London to understand. People brought up in Russia like my kids want to play in the snow.

We wish all users of Ford cars to know what they are entitled to.

The well-satisfied customer will bring the repeat sale that counts.

I never trust an executive who tends to pass the buck. Nor would I want to deal with him as a customer or a supplier.

My mother taught me to love my work. I learned everything about business from her.

Good copy can’t be written with tongue in cheek, written just for a living. You’ve got to believe in the product.

A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.

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

You now have to decide what ‘image’ you want for your brand. Image means personality. Products, like people, have personalities, and they can make or break them in the market place.

We do not hire a man’s history, we hire the man.