Quotes from Richard Branson

I am impressed with just the enthusiasm for life and the fact that some of these people are in their 80's, even 90's, and they're absolutely determined to get out there and make a difference.

I'm a bit like the Queen in that I don't carry much cash.

The funny thing is people won't let me pay for things. I'll be in a restaurant and the manager will say, 'Oh no, it's on the house.'

Space has always fascinated me. As a young boy looking up at the stars, I found it impossible to resist thinking what was out there and if I ever would experience space first-hand.

Commitment is not letting people down. That's very important in life.

If young people do see me as an example (I'm very flattered if they do!) I hope it is as someone who will go out there and live life to the full.

Life can seem rather unreal at times. Alive and well and loving one day. No longer there the next.

I think you should do in life what you think you'll make a real difference at. And generally, as a businessperson, you do things you don't really have experience in.

Because I don't see Virgin as a company but as a way of life and I fully enjoy it, I don't think I'll ever retire.

I was born under a lucky star, and I have nothing whatsoever to regret. I wouldn't change a thing about my life.

It is important in life to turn adversity to success

I think that you're going to get so much more out of life if you just say yes at every opportunity.

Wine, like life, is meant to be enjoyed.

I've been lucky to have survived balloon trips, boating trips, you know, a lot of rather foolish things in my life, so I was definitely born under a lucky star.

The true cost to the world of a burger is far greater than the money you hand over to buy it.

I read everything, but generally more fact than fiction - especially autobiographies and biographies. I've read 'Long Walk to Freedom' by Nelson Mandela at least twice on holiday. Every time, I'm totally awed by his vision, strength and forgiveness. I feel honoured to have got to know him and his wonderful wife Graca over the years.

All you have in business is your reputation - so it's very important that you keep your word.

Any successful entrepreneur knows that time is more valuable than money itself.

Through the right people focusing on the right things, we can, in time, get on top of a lot if not most of the problems of this world. And that's what a number of us are trying to do.

Spend more time smiling than frowning and more time praising than criticizing.

I'm a lad of the '60s. I started a magazine to try and end the Vietnam war, but it was a number of years before I had the profile, the financial resources and the time to do more.

I nearly failed when Virgin was in its infancy; I nearly failed in the early 1980s, and, of course, I have nearly died more than once trying to achieve a world record for boating or ballooning. But through a combination of luck and planning, both Virgin and I are still here.

I live half the year on Necker, a tiny island in the Caribbean, and it's always full of people in party mode. Everyone comes up to the big house, and we'll be dancing until the early hours to the island's band, the Front Line.

If you're embarking around the world in a hot-air balloon, don't forget the toilet paper.