Portrait of Henry Ford

Henry Ford

Ford Motor Company, assembly line

Modern influential 100 sayings

Sayings by Henry Ford

It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages.

Approx. 1920s — Attributed quote
Money & Business Unverifiable

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.

Approx. 1900s — Attributed quote, widely cited, though the exact source is elusive
Wisdom Confirmed

The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.

Approx. 1920s — Attributed quote
Wisdom Unverifiable

The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.

Approx. 1920s — Attributed quote
Educational Unverifiable

You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.

Approx. 1920s — Attributed quote
Wisdom Unverifiable

It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.

Approx. 1920s — Attributed quote
Wisdom Unverifiable

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.

Approx. 1920s — Attributed quote, widely cited
Power & Leadership Unverifiable

Whether you believe you can or you can't, you're probably right.

Approx. 1920s — Attributed quote, similar to earlier one, but distinct phrasing
Inspirational Unverifiable

There is joy in work. There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.

1922 — My Life and Work
Wisdom Unverifiable

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.

Approx. 1920s — Attributed quote
Wisdom Unverifiable

The establishment of a high minimum wage is for the protection of the inefficient against the efficient.

Approx. 1914 — Interview or statement after implementing $5 day wage
Wisdom Unverifiable

The only way to do great work is to love what you do.

Approx. 1920s — Attributed quote (often misattributed to Steve Jobs, but Ford said similar things)
Love & Relationships Unverifiable

It is not necessary for a man to be a genius to be successful.

Approx. 1920s — Attributed quote
Inspirational Unverifiable

The farther you look back, the farther you can look forward.

Approx. 1930s — Attributed quote, contradictory to his 'history is bunk' statement, making it interesting
Wisdom Unverifiable

Capital punishment is as fundamentally wrong as a private murder.

Approx. 1920s — Statement on his views
Money & Business Unverifiable

I have no use for a motor car that has more than one working part, a motor.

Approx. 1900s — Early statement about simplicity in design
Power & Leadership Unverifiable

History is more or less bunk.

1916 — Interview with Chicago Tribune
Educational Unverifiable

The Jews caused the war, the Jews caused the outbreak of thieving and robbery all over the country, the Jews caused the inefficiency of the navy.

1920 — Interview about his antisemitic views
Wisdom Unverifiable

An idealist is a person who helps other people to be prosperous.

1922 — My Life and Work autobiography
Wisdom Confirmed

The only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history we make today.

1916 — Interview about his view of history
Educational Unverifiable
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