Quote

You can make a lot of mistakes and still recover if you run an efficient operation. Or you can be brilliant and still go out of business if you're too inefficient.

Sam Walton

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Sam Walton
Age: 74 †
Born: 1918
Born: March 29
Died: 1992
Died: April 5
Businessman
Businessperson
Economist
Entrepreneur
Kingfisher
Oklahoma
Samuel Moore Walton
Business
Inefficient
Running
Recover
Stills
Operation
Still
Efficient
Make
Operations
Brilliant
Mistakes
Mistake

More quotes by Sam Walton

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I learned a lesson which has stuck with me all through the years: you can learn from everybody. I didn't just learn from reading every retail publication I could get my hands on, I probably learned the most from studying what John Dunham was doing across the street
Sam Walton
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Each Wal-Mart store should reflect the values of its customers and support the vision they hold for their community.
Sam Walton
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I loved retail from the beginning, and I still love it today.
Sam Walton
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Commit to your business. Believe in it more than anybody else.
Sam Walton
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I think I overcame every single one of my personal shortcomings by the sheer passion I brought to my work. I don't know if you're born with this kind of passion, or if you can learn it. But I do know you need it.
Sam Walton
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I had to get up everyday with my mind set on improving something.
Sam Walton
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The secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want
Sam Walton
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There's absolutely no limit to what plain, ordinary, working people can accomplish if they're given the opportunity and encouragement to do their best.
Sam Walton
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Great ideas come from everywhere if you just listen and look for them. You never know who's going to have a great idea.
Sam Walton
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Money and ownership alone aren't enough. Set high goals, encourage competition, and then keep score.
Sam Walton
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There are only four things in life that matter. The first is happiness and I'll sell you the other three for a dollar.
Sam Walton
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Exceed your customer's expectations. If you do, they'll come back over and over. Give them what they want - and a little more.
Sam Walton
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When all else fails, put on a costume and sing a silly song.
Sam Walton
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If one of our customers comes into the store without a smile, I'll give them one of mine.
Sam Walton
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I've always been driven to buck the system.
Sam Walton
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Focus on something the customer wants, and then deliver it.
Sam Walton
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Communicate everything you can to your associates. The more they know, the more they care. Once they care, there is no stopping them.
Sam Walton
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Celebrate your success and find humor in your failures. Don't take yourself so seriously. Loosen up and everyone around you will loosen up. Have fun and always show enthusiasm. When all else fails, put on a costume and sing a silly song.
Sam Walton
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Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free and worth a fortune
Sam Walton
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We're all working together that's the secret. And we'll lower the cost of living for everyone, not just in America, but we'll give the world an opportunity to see what it's like to save and have a better lifestyle, a better life for all. We're proud of what we've accomplished we've just begun.
Sam Walton