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Want to know the truth about what it’s like to run your own business?

The entrepreneurial journey isn’t linear. It has its ups and downs and zigs and zags.

There’ll be days when you face Criticism, Rejection, Adversity and Prejudice. Days when the pasture of the employed seems greener than the self-sown pasture of the entrepreneur. And days when you begin to question whether the sacrifices you’ve made were worth it.

Then there’ll be other days when you’re smelling the roses – dreaming more, doing more, becoming more… Days when you hit your goals and a rush of dopamine replaces procrastination and self-doubt with motivation and confidence.

Quotes for Start-ups & Entrepreneurs

To give you a motivational boost to push through the rough days into the smooth, we’ve curated this list of 26 inspiring quotes for start-ups and entrepreneurs:

  1. “Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.”
    – Robert Schuller

Problems are not stop...

  1. “Wisdom is knowing what to do next, Skill is knowing how to do it, and Virtue is doing it.”
    – David Starr Jordan
  1. “If you play it safe, no-one will ever know who you are.”
    – Steve Jobs
  1. “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”
    – Bruce Lee

Adapt what is useful...

  1. “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
    – Winston Churchill
  1. “To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.”
    – Reba McEntire
  1. “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
    – Mark Twain

Continuous improvement...

  1. “Bring the best of your authentic self to every opportunity.”
    – John Jantsch
  1. “Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.”
    – anon
  1. “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.”
    – Henry Ford

You can't build...

  1. “Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.”
    – Coco Chanel
  1. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
    John Quincy Adams
  1. “If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got.”
    – Albert Einstein

If you do what you...

  1. “Don’t compare your behind the scenes with someone else’s highlight reel.”
    – Steven Furtick
  1. “Don’t settle: Don’t finish crappy books. If you don’t like the menu, leave the restaurant. If you’re not on the right path, get off it.”
    – Chris Brogan
  1. “Leaders grasp nettles.”
    – David Ogilvy

Leaders grasp...

  1. “What makes you different or weird, that’s your strength.”
    – Meryl Streep
  1. “You create a credible brand by staying true to who you are.”
    – Hillary Sawchuk
  1. “Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
    – Calvin Coolidge

quotes for start-ups and entrepreneurs

  1. “The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing.”
    – Seth Godin
  1. “You don’t have to have the answer to ask a great question. A great question will ultimately get an answer.”
    – Michael J. Marquardt
  1. “The compass of accurate knowledge directs the shortest, safest, cheapest course to any destination.”
    Claude Hopkins

The compass...

  1. “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
    – Pablo Picasso
  1. “Great execution is the ultimate differentiator.”
    – Margaret Molloy
  1. “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”
    – Thomas Edison
  1. “Creativity takes courage.”
    – Henri Matisse

Creativity takes courage

 

Bookmark these inspiring quotes so you can return to them again and again. They’ll put the challenges of entrepreneurial life into perspective and give you a dose of courage to bring your dreams into reality.

If you liked these quotes, you may also like: 23 powerful design & branding quotes to inspire creative thinking

Whether you’re a marketing pro or a small business owner, there’ll be times when you’re blinded by the miasma of the shiny new thing on the marketing block.

Only the guiding principles of good design and branding can lift the fog.

Remember, “Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.” – Massimo Vignelli

So we’ve curated a list of 23 powerful design and branding quotes that’ll restore your 20/20 vision and inspire creative thinking:

Design & Branding Quotes

  1. “Brand is the story. Design is the storytelling.”
    Susan Sellers

Brand is the story

  1. “Maximum meaning, minimum means.”
    Abram Games
  2. “The definition of an expert is someone who knows what not to do!”
    Charles Willson
  3. “IF YOU MAKE EVERYTHING BOLD, NOTHING IS BOLD.”
    – Art Webb

If you make everything bold...

  1. “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
    Pablo Picasso
  2. “Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.”
    Albert Einstein
  3. “Design is thinking made visual.”
    Saul Bass

Design is...

  1. “You create a credible brand by staying true to who you are.”
    – Hillary Sawchuk
  2. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
    Leonardo da Vinci
  3. “Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touchpoints.”
    – Jonah Sachs

Simplicity is...

  1. “Design adds value faster than it adds costs.”
    Joel Spolsky
  2. “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”
    Thomas Edison

The value of an idea...

  1. “Bridge the gap between seeing and understanding.”
    Milton Glaser
  2. “Creativity takes courage.”
    Henri Matisse
  3. “Design to communicate, not just decorate.”
    Tony Stanton

Design to communicate...

  1. “Curiosity about life in all its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.”
    – Leo Burnett
  2. “If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.”
    Ralf Speth
  3. “Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.”
    Massimo Vignelli

Styles come and go...

  1. “Where do new ideas come from? The answer is simple: differences. Creativity comes from unlikely juxtapositions.”
    Nicholas Negroponte
  2. “Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.”
    – John Maeda
  3. “Whitespace is like air: it is necessary for design to breathe.”
    Wojciech Zieliński

Whitespace is like air...

  1. “The time it takes to make a decision increases as the number of alternatives increases.”
    William Edmund Hick
  2. “You don’t think your way to creative work. You work your way to creative thinking.”
    George Nelson

Conclusion

 

Technology and tactics may change over time but the principles of effective design are timeless.

We hope these inspirational and thought-provoking quotes have given you ideas about how to improve the design and branding of your marketing campaigns…

… And clarity on what good design looks like.

Take our free Brand Audit Quiz to find out how strong your brand is and what you can do to strengthen it.

If you liked these quotes, you may also like: 26 inspiring quotes for start-ups & entrepreneurs