James J. Hill Quotes

“The passenger train is like the male teat – neither useful nor ornamental.”

“If you want to know whether you are destined to be a success or a failure in life, you can easily find out. The test is simple and it is infallible: Are you able to save money? If not, drop out. You will lose. You may think not, but you will lose as sure as you live. The seed of success is not in you.”

“There is no such thing as a free lunch.”

“The only way to get ahead is to work hard and be honest.”

“Success is the result of a combination of hard work, good judgment, and a little luck.”

“To be successful, you must be able to see the invisible.”

“You cannot build a reputation on what you are going to do.”

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

“The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.”

“A great business is not built on the idea of making money, but on the idea of serving people.”

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

“What we want is the best possible line, shortest distance, lowest grades, least curvature that we can build. We do not care enough about money to spend it on a road that is not going to be first class in every respect.”

“Most men who have really lived have had, in some shape, their great adventure. This railroad is mine.”

“The government might as well try to prohibit a man from owning a house and a barn at the same time.”

“You can't build a railroad through a wilderness and expect it to pay.”