Akio Morita Quotes

“A company will get nowhere if all of the thinking is left to management.”

“Curiosity is the key to creativity.”

“In the long run, no matter how good or successful you are or how clever or crafty, your business and its future are in the hands of the people you hire.”

“The important thing in my view is not to pin the blame for a mistake on somebody, but rather to find out what caused the mistake.”

“You could say that the only sure thing is that in business there are no sure things.”

“Never trust anybody to do a job exactly the way you would want it done.”

“Putting people down, because they lack diplomas or because they're having trouble with a certain job, is a sign of incompetence.”

“Succeeding by creating conflict is impossible.”

“The public does not know what is possible. We do.”

“Don't be afraid to make a mistake. But make sure you don't make the same mistake twice.”

“Managing is not reigning.”

“Exercise, practiced hard, is good not only for the heart, but also for the mind.”

“The American system of management, in my opinion, also relies too much on outsiders to help make business decisions.”

“I often say to my assistants, 'Never trust anybody,' but what I mean is that you should never trust someone else to do a job exactly the way you would want it done.”

“We all learn by imitating, as children, as students, as novices in the world of business.”

“You can be totally rational with a machine. But if you work with people, sometimes logic often has to take a backseat to understanding.”

“Mistakes and miscalculations are human and normal, and viewed in the long run they have not damaged the company.”

“I have always believed that a trademark is the life of an enterprise and that it must be protected boldly.”

“Our plan is to lead the public with new products rather than ask them what kind of products they want. The public does not know what is possible, but we do.”

“I do not believe that any amount of market research could have told us that the Sony Walkman would be successful. The public does not know what is possible, but we do.”

“It is not an exaggeration to say that he was the face of Japan.”

“I knew we needed a weapon to break through to the U.S. market, and it had to be something different. Something that nobody else was making.”

“Everybody gave me a hard time. It seemed as though nobody liked the idea. I do not believe that any amount of market research could have told us that the Sony Walkman would be successful.”

“He was truly a statesman par excellence in a business sense. Internationally, he did more for Japan in a business sense than anyone else in Japan.”

“We wanted a new name that could be recognized anywhere in the world, one that could be pronounced the same in any language.”