Quotes from Richard Branson

You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.

I can honestly say that I have never gone into any business purely to make money. If that is the sole motive then I believe you are better off not doing it. A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.

Throwing yourself into a job you enjoy is one of the life's greatest pleasures!

As soon as something stops being fun, I think it's time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy. Waking up stressed and miserable is not a good way to live.

Only a fool never changes his mind.

There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions – in a way that serves the world and you.

A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.

It is only by being bold that you get anywhere. If you are a risk-taker, then the art is to protect the downside.

Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.

Most "necessary evils" are far more evil than necessary.

Business isn't about ties, suits and briefcases. It's about adventure.

In the same way that I tend to make up my mind about people within thirty seconds of meeting them, I also make up my mind about whether a business proposal excites me within about thirty seconds of looking at it. I rely far more on gut instinct than researching huge amounts of statistics.

Good brands reflect the histories of the time and the group of people that made them. They can not be copied. They can not be recycled.

If you opt for a safe life, you will never know what it's like to win.

There have been times when I could have succumbed to some form of bribe, or could have had my way by offering one. But ever since that night in Dover prison I have never been tempted to break my vow.. My Parents always drummed into me that all you have life is your reputation: you may be very rich, but if you lose your good name you'll never be happy.

I have always believed that the only way to cope with a cash crisis is not to contract but to try to expand out of it.

Fun is at the core of the way I like to do business and it has been key to everything I've done from the outset. More than any other element, fun is the secret of Virgin's success. I am aware that the ideas of business as being fun and creative goes right against the grain of convention, and it's certainly not how the they teach it at some of those business schools, where business means hard grind and lots of 'discounted cash flows' and net' present values'.

You're guaranteed to miss every shot you don't take.

the best motto to follow is 'Nothing ventured; nothing gained'.

Listen – it makes you sound smarter

Throughout my business life I have always tried to keep on top of costs and protect the downside risk as much possible. The Virgin Group has survived only because we have always kept tight control of our cash. But, likewise, I also know that sometimes it is essential to break these rules and spend lavishly.

Acquiring the habit of note-taking is therefore a wonderfully complementary skill to that of listening.