Quotes from Thomas J. Watson

Within us all there are wells of thought and dynamos of energy which are not suspected until emergencies arise. Then oftentimes we find that it is comparatively simple to double or triple our former capacities and to amaze ourselves by the results achieved.

We hear of a silent generation, more concerned with security than integrity, with conforming than performing, with imitating than creating.

Wisdom is the power to put our time and our knowledge to the proper use.

A manager is an assistant to his men.

Design must reflect the practical and aesthetic in business but above all... good design must primarily serve people.

Nothing so conclusively proves a man's ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.

Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops.

Good design is good business.

If you aren't playing well, the game isn't as much fun. When that happens I tell myself just to go out and play as I did when I was a kid.

If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good.

All the problems of the world could be settled easily if men were only willing to think. The trouble is that men very often resort to all sorts of devices in order not to think, because thinking is such hard work.

Really big people are, above everything else, courteous, considerate and generous - not just to some people in some circumstances - but to everyone all the time.

A manager is an assistant to his men.

All the problems of the world could be settled if people were only willing to think. The trouble is that people very often resort to all sorts of devices in order not to think, because thinking is such hard work.

Don't make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.

Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the danger of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of crackpot than the stigma of conformity.

Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.

Man has made some machines that can answer questions provided the facts are profusely stored in them, but we will never be able to make a machine that will ask questions. The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the answer.

Once an organization loses its spirit of pioneering and rests on its early work, its progress stops.

Solve it. Solve it quickly, solve it right or wrong. If you solve it wrong, it will come back and slap you in the face, and then you can solve it right. Lying dead in the water and doing nothing is a comfortable alternative because it is without risk, but it is an absolutely fatal way to manage a business.

The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas and enthusiasm.

The toughest thing about the power of trust is that it's very difficult to build and very easy to destroy. The essence of trust building is to emphasize the similarities between you and the customer.

There are three things our eingeneering educators must do immediately in offering the curricula to their students: (1) Multidisciplinary courses (2) Good communication skills (3) Team work experiences.

Once an organization loses its spirit of pioneering and rests on its early work, its progress stops.