Henry Leland Quotes

“The man who can make parts so accurately that they are interchangeable can make anything.”

“Accuracy means something. It is the foundation of good workmanship and the basis of confidence between man and man, between employer and employee.”

“For the most meritorious performance of the year... demonstrating the possibility of the production of motor cars with such precision and accuracy of construction as to render the parts interchangeable.”

“I have always believed that the man who builds the best product will eventually control the market, regardless of the temporary advantages that others may gain through lower prices or clever marketing.”

“The Lincoln represents the highest achievement in American automotive engineering. It is not merely an automobile, but a precision instrument that happens to provide transportation.”

“There is no job so simple that it cannot be done wrong, and no job so complex that it cannot be done right if proper methods are used.”

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.”

“A reputation for precision is worth more than any amount of advertising, because it represents the accumulated trust of thousands of satisfied customers.”

“The secret of successful manufacturing is not in making things cheaply, but in making them so well that customers are willing to pay what they are worth.”

“Every improvement in manufacturing methods should serve two purposes: to make the product better and to make the work easier for the man who does it.”

“Innovation without precision is merely expensive experimentation. Precision without innovation is merely expensive craftsmanship. Success requires both.”

“The best machine is not the one that runs fastest, but the one that runs most consistently.”

“[Competition](/mental-models/competition) based on price alone is a race to the bottom. Competition based on quality is a race to the top, and there is always room at the top.”

“A business built on cutting corners will eventually find itself cornered by competitors who refuse to cut corners.”

“The customer who buys on price alone will never be loyal, but the customer who buys on value will remain loyal even when competitors offer lower prices.”

“The best way to ensure quality is to hire people who take pride in their work, then give them the tools and training they need to do it right.”

“A manager's job is not to watch people work, but to create conditions where people can do their best work.”

“Standards that are not measured are merely suggestions. Standards that are measured but not enforced are merely recommendations. Only standards that are measured and consistently enforced become part of the culture.”

“The most expensive mistake a manager can make is to accept mediocrity in the name of efficiency.”

“Yesterday's precision is today's starting point. What satisfied customers last year will disappoint them this year unless we continue to improve.”

“The enemy of excellence is not failure, but satisfaction with current success.”

“Every problem is an opportunity to improve, and every improvement creates new opportunities.”

“Progress is not about doing things faster, but about doing them better. [Speed](/mental-models/speed) without quality is merely expensive waste.”

“The measure of a man's work is not what he accomplishes in a day, but what remains valuable after he is gone.”