John D. Rockefeller was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. He founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Following is our collection on famous quotes by John D. Rockefeller on education, success, money.
Quick Jump To
Top 10 John D. Rockefeller Quotes
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About Success
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About Money
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About God
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About Giving
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About Work
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About People
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About Life
Short John D. Rockefeller Quotes
Life Lessons
Famous John D. Rockefeller Quotes
Top 10 John D. Rockefeller Quotes
Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.
I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.
I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity.
I was early taught to work as well as play. My life has been one long, happy holiday; Full of work and full of play-
I dropped the worry on the way-
And God was good to me everyday.
I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.
Every right implies a responsibility; Every opportunity, an obligation, Every possession, a duty.
I would rather hire a man with enthusiasm, than a man who knows everything.
Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success in life, no matter what may be one's aim.
John D. Rockefeller inspirational quote
John D. Rockefeller Image Quotes
I would rather hire a man with enthusiasm, than a man who knows everything. — John D. Rockefeller
Those who work the whole day, have no time to make money!
The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well. — John D. Rockefeller
The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets. — John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller Short Quotes
The most important thing for a young man is to establish a credit... a reputation, character.
Get rich by taking something common and making it uncommon.
Don't blame the marketing department. The buck stops with the chief executive.
I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living.
If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.
Be sure that you are not deceiving yourself at any time about actual conditions.
The major fortunes in America have been made in land.
The day of combination is here to stay. Individualism has gone, never to return.
It is wrong to assume that men of immense wealth are always happy.
Dont be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About Success
The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well. — John D. Rockefeller
The man who starts out simply with the idea of getting rich won't succeed, you must have a larger ambition. — John D. Rockefeller
I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature. — John D. Rockefeller
I never placed my head upon the pillow at night without reminding myself that my success might only be temporary. — John D. Rockefeller
I have no use for men who fail. The cause of their failure is no business of mine, but I want successful men as my associates. — John D. Rockefeller
The common denominator for success is work. — John D. Rockefeller
The secret of success is to get up early, work late and strike oil. — John D. Rockefeller
Singleness of purpose is essential for success in life. — John D. Rockefeller
I have long been profoundly convinced that in the very nature of things, employers and employees are partners, not enemies; that their interests are common not opposed; that in the long run the success of each is dependent upon the success of the other. — John D. Rockefeller
The man will be most successful who confers the greatest service on the world. — John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About Money
Giving is the secret to a healthy life. Not necessarily money, but whatever a person has to give of encouragement, sympathy, and understanding. — John D. Rockefeller
The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets. — John D. Rockefeller
I had no ambition to make a fortune. Mere money-making has never been my goal, I had an ambition to build. — John D. Rockefeller
I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of money for money's sake. — John D. Rockefeller
I have ways of making money that you know nothing of. — John D. Rockefeller
Who is the poorest man in the world? I tell you, the poorest man I know of is the man who has nothing but money. — John D. Rockefeller
I think it is a man's duty to make all the money he can, keep all that he can and give away all that he can. — John D. Rockefeller
When a man has accumulated a sum of money, accumulated it within the law, the Government has no right to share in its earnings. — John D. Rockefeller
The impression was gaining ground with me that it was a good thing to let the money be my slave and not make myself a slave to money. — John D. Rockefeller
I believe the power to make money is a gift of God. — John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About God
The American Beauty Rose can be produced in the splendor and fragrance which bring cheer to its beholder only by sacrificing the early buds which grow up around it. This is not an evil tendency in business. It is merely the working-out of a law of nature and a law of God. — John D. Rockefeller
I believe the power to make money is a gift from God...to be developed and used to the best of our ability for the good of mankind. — John D. Rockefeller
God gave me my money. — John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About Giving
Never think you need to apologize for asking someone to give to a worthy cause, any more than as though you were giving him or her an opportunity to participate in a high-grade investment. The duty of giving is as much his or hers as is the duty of asking yours. — John D. Rockefeller
Think of giving not only as a duty but as a privilege. — John D. Rockefeller
Do you know the only thing that gives me pleasure? It's to see my dividends coming in. — John D. Rockefeller
I was trained from the beginning to work, to save, and to give. — John D. Rockefeller
I was trained from the beginning to work, to save. I have always regarded it a as a religious duty to get all I could honorably and to give all I could. — John D. Rockefeller
Giving should be entered into in just the same way as investing. Giving is investing. — John D. Rockefeller
I believe it is a religious duty to get all the money you can, fairly and honestly; to keep all you can, and to give away all you can. — John D. Rockefeller
Long ago I lost the joy in living. The only joy I have is in my giving. — John D. Rockefeller
We can never learn too much of His will towards us, too much of His messages and His advice. The Bible is His word and its study gives at once the foundation for our faith and an inspiration to battle onward in the fight against the tempter. — John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About Work
Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people. — John D. Rockefeller
I had to work my way up to be where I am now. All these companies could have done the same. — John D. Rockefeller
Let the good work go on. We must ever remember we are refining oil for the poor man and he must have it cheap and good. — John D. Rockefeller
I should say in general the advantage of education is to better fit a man for life's work. I would advise young men to take a college course, as a rule, but think some are just as well off with a thorough business training. — John D. Rockefeller
Well i know that my company is not corrupt or unfair because i got all this with all my hard work. I see no reason why you say my company was corrupt may you explain to me miss [Ida] Tarbell. — John D. Rockefeller
When work goes out of style we may expect to see civilization totter and fall. — John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About People
The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun. — John D. Rockefeller
I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people's efforts than 100% of my own efforts. — John D. Rockefeller
Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing. — John D. Rockefeller
I'm glad I wrote the book to show what I found out about the [ Standard Oil Company]. I'm glad many people read my book and found out the truth. — John D. Rockefeller
The person with big talk and big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts. I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master. — John D. Rockefeller
It is very important to remember what other people tell you, not so much what you yourself already know. — John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller Quotes About Life
Never lose interest in life and the world. Never allow yourself to become annoyed. — John D. Rockefeller
I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure. — John D. Rockefeller
I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. — John D. Rockefeller
Oh, how blessed young men are who have to struggle for a foundation and beginning in life. — John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller Famous Quotes And Sayings
I would rather hire a man with enthusiasm, than a man who knows everything. — John D. Rockefeller
The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well. — John D. Rockefeller
And we are never too old to study the Bible. Each time the lessons are studied comes some new meaning, some new thought which will make us better. — John D. Rockefeller
The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets. — John D. Rockefeller
Do not many of us who fail to achieve big things. . .fail because we lack concentration--the art of concentrating the mind on the thing to be done at the proper time and to the exclusion of everything else? — John D. Rockefeller
Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest their time and money in multiplying competitive industries instead of opening up new fields, and putting their money into lines of industry and development that are needed. — John D. Rockefeller
My mother was given to a typical question: "We have always done this. Why should we do anything else?" But my wife's typical question was "We have always done this. Why don't we do it another way or, better still, why not do something else?" — John D. Rockefeller
Often-times the most difficult competition comes, not from the strong, the intelligent, the conservative competitor, but from the man who is holding on by the eyelids and is ignorant of his costs, and anyway he's got to keep running or bust! — John D. Rockefeller
I cheat my boys every chance I get. I trade with the boys and skin 'em and I just beat 'em every time I can. I want to make 'em sharp. — John D. Rockefeller
There is nothing in this world that can compare with the Christian fellowship; nothing that can satisfy but Christ. — John D. Rockefeller
Taxation has its limitations as a method of achieving better economic distribution since for this purpose it is essentially remedial. We must also take a positive approach by finding new ways to spread ownership of future capital growth more broadly in our society. — John D. Rockefeller
The best business in the world is a well run oil company. The second best business in the world is a badly run oil company. — John D. Rockefeller
The person who starts out simply with the idea of getting rich won't succeed; you must have a larger ambition. There is no mystery in business success. If you do each day's task successfully, and stay faithfully within these natural operations of commercial laws which I talk so much about, and keep your head clear, you will come out all right. — John D. Rockefeller
The best philanthropy is constantly in search of the finalities-a search for a cause, an attempt to cure evils at their source. — John D. Rockefeller
This Sunday School has been of help to me, greater perhaps than any other force in my Christian life, and I can ask no better things for you than that you, and all that shall come after you in this great band of workers for Christ, shall receive the same measure of blessedness which I have been permitted to have. — John D. Rockefeller
I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty. — John D. Rockefeller
It has always been my rule in business to make everything count. — John D. Rockefeller
What constitutes a good manager in this field? He must be knowledgeable in the art with which he is concerned, an impresario, labor negotiator, diplomat, educator, publicity and public relations expert, politician, skilled businessman, a social sophisticate, a servant of the community, a tireless leader - becomingly humble before authority - a teacher, a tyrant, and a continuing student of the arts. — John D. Rockefeller
We are coming to see that there should be no stifling of labor by capital, or of capital by labor; and also that there should be no stifling of labor by labor, or of capital by capital. — John D. Rockefeller
The only question with wealth is, what do you do with it? — John D. Rockefeller
That is not true I am not a greedy man because if I was why would i donate money to charity?I care about others as well. — John D. Rockefeller
I have nothing else to say other than I wasn't corrupt, unfair, or greedy. I was smart when it came to making decisions for my company, and I wasn't greedy. I gave to others in charity and donated money to fund programs. I have nothing else to say. — John D. Rockefeller
To think! All that power and he wasn't even rich! — John D. Rockefeller
A man's wealth must be determined by the relation of his desires and expenditures to his income. If he feels rich on ten dollars, and has everything else he desires, he really is rich. — John D. Rockefeller
Believing that fundamental conditions of the country are sound and there is nothing in the business situation to warrant the destruction of values that has taken place on the exchanges during the past week, my son and I have for some days been purchasing sound common stocks. We are continuing and will continue our purchases in substantial amounts at levels which we believe represent sound investment values. — John D. Rockefeller
Competition is a sin. — John D. Rockefeller
A friendship built on business can be glorious, while a business built on friendship can be murder. — John D. Rockefeller
I shall use such influence as I have in emphasizing the basic truths common to all denominations, in lowering denominational barriers and in promoting effective cooperation among Christians of whatever creed. — John D. Rockefeller
Many of the deficiencies of our economic system could be alleviated if ways were found to broaden the ownership of the means of production... This has happened in some companies through ESOPs. Successful approaches of this sort would pay dividends in terms of employee commitment and morale. And they would not deprive anyone of his present holdings since they are based on future growth. — John D. Rockefeller
Character - not wealth, power, or position - is the supreme word. — John D. Rockefeller
I was born into it and there was nothing I could do about it. It was there, like air or food, or any other element. The only question with wealth is what you do with it. — John D. Rockefeller
The road to happiness lies in two simple principles; find what interests you and that you can do well, and put your whole soul into it - every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have. — John D. Rockefeller
After it is all over, the religion of man is his most important possession. — John D. Rockefeller
I never said that I wanted to be the only company, is it my fault that I ran my company well? Wouldn't you want the best for your company? Also consider that I started of small. — John D. Rockefeller
Homeopathy is a progressive and aggressive step in medicine. — John D. Rockefeller
Own nothing, control everything. — John D. Rockefeller
Success comes from keeping the ears open and the mouth closed — John D. Rockefeller
A man has no right to occupy another man’s time unnecessarily — John D. Rockefeller
Our cup will truly run over only after we have sealed the character cracks. — John D. Rockefeller
I wanted the best for my company, I had to do what I did to succeed. Everyone was lowering their prices to beat there competition so I did the same I eventually beat my competition. — John D. Rockefeller
Save when you can and not when you have to. — John D. Rockefeller
Money is a way of keeping COUNT on how well you're doing in business. — John D. Rockefeller
How much money does it take to make a man happy? Just one more dollar. — John D. Rockefeller
There is no feeling in this world to be compared with self-reliance--do not sacrifice that to anything else. — John D. Rockefeller
I raised my prices since there wasn't any competition it was just the smart thing to do. Why would I keep my prices up if their wasn't anyone to beat? — John D. Rockefeller
The success of each is dependent upon the success of the other. — John D. Rockefeller
I have made many millions but they have brought me no happiness. — John D. Rockefeller
If my name were John D Smith IV I wouldn't have been elected to anything. — John D. Rockefeller
Life Lessons by John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller taught the importance of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. He was a self-made man who built his wealth and success through his own efforts and determination.
He also believed in the power of giving back, donating much of his wealth to charitable causes and setting an example of philanthropy for future generations.
Finally, he taught the importance of being frugal and wise with money, investing wisely and avoiding wasteful spending.
Citation
Feel free to cite and use any of the quotes by John D. Rockefeller. For popular citation styles (APA, Chicago, MLA), go to citation page.