Henry Ford Quotations

It has been said that Henry Ford was a very opinionated man. A review of some of his quotations speak volumes about the man who is credited with putting the world on wheels. Some of the varied topics he addressed in quotes attributed to him were Business, Money, and History. We can still learn lessons of life from the many "Truisms" revealed in his words of wisdom.

Henry Ford Quotes on Business:

"I'm going to democratize the automobile," When I'm through, everybody will be able to afford one, and about everyone will have one"

"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business"

"The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time. "

"I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done"

"A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one."

"The man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed."

"I cannot discover that anyone knows enough to say definitely what is and what is not possible"

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do."

"There is joy in work. There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something."

"I do not believe a man can ever leave his business. He ought to think of it by day and dream of it by night."

Henry Ford Quotes on History:

"History is more or less bunk. It's tradition. We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker's dam is the history we made today."

Henry Ford Quotes on Money:

"If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability."

"Many people think that by hoarding money they are gaining safety for themselves. If money is your ONLY hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a person can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. Without these qualities, money is practically useless."

"Money doesn't change men, it merely unmasks them. If a man is naturally selfish or arrogant or greedy, the money brings that out, that's all."

"Wealth, like happiness, is never attained when sought after directly. It comes as a byproduct of providing a useful service."

"An idealist is a person who helps other people to be prosperous. "

"Money is like an arm or leg - use it or lose it. "

Henry Ford "Truisms"

"It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste."

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

"Quality means doing it right when no one is looking."

"Chop your own wood, and it will warm you twice."

"Don't find fault, find a remedy. "

"There are no big problems, there are just a lot of little problems"

"You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do."

"Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success."

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."

"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it."

Our Favorite Henry Ford Quote

"All Fords are exactly alike, but no two men are just alike. Every new life is a new thing under the sun; there has never been anything just like it before, never will be again. A young man ought to get that idea about himself; he should look for the single spark of individuality that makes him different from other folks, and develop that for all he is worth. Society and schools may try to iron it out of him; their tendency is to put it all in the same mold, but I say don't let that spark be lost; it is your only real claim to importance."