Ben Horowitz on Work Quotes

"Being a CEO is a very lonely job. It’s hard to talk to anyone about how hard it is."

"The quality of your work is a reflection of the quality of your character."

"The hard thing isn’t setting a big, hairy, audacious goal. The hard thing is laying people off when you miss the big goal."

"A company is only as good as its people, and its people are only as good as their training."

"A good culture is one where people feel safe enough to tell the truth."

"Hire for strength, not lack of weakness."

"Peacetime CEO sets big, hairy, audacious goals. Wartime CEO is too busy fighting the enemy to read management books."

"Execution is everything. Ideas are just a multiplier."

"Innovation is not a department; it’s a way of working."

"Take care of the people, the products, and the profits—in that order."

"If you want to be a great company, you have to be a great place to work."

"Focus on the road, not the wall."

"The only thing that prepares you to run a company is running a company."

"The struggle is where character is built."

"If you are going to eat sh*t, don't nibble."

"If you don't treat the people who leave with the same respect as the people who stay, you will never have a great company."

"Culture is not a set of beliefs; it's a set of actions."

"Trust is the glue that holds the organization together."

"In business, you have to be able to tell the truth, especially when it’s ugly."

"If you don't have a clear vision, you will get lost in the noise."

"The secret to being a successful entrepreneur is to never give up."

"The hardest part of being a CEO is managing your own mind."

"The most important thing I learned as a CEO was to always tell the truth."

"Don't let the fear of failure stop you from taking the necessary risks."

"Wartime CEO knows that the only thing that matters is the mission."

"The first thing that any successful CEO must do is get really good at managing their own psychology."

"In the end, it’s not about the money; it’s about the impact you make."

"Every time you make the hard, correct decision, you become a bit more courageous."

"The best way to build a great team is to be a great leader."

"Great CEO performance is about making the right decisions, not about having the right answers."

"The struggle is not failure, but it causes failure. Especially if you are weak."

"You can't have a great culture without great accountability."

"You must believe that there is always a move. You just have to find it."