Sam Altman Quotes

If you are under the illusion that you can start a business and run it at your life's schedule, you are mistaken. The business is like a starving puppy - when it needs to eat, then it needs to eat regardless of what you have going on personally.

There is pressure from day one when you start your career.

Running your own business is a huge amount of fun, but there's also a huge amount of seriousness, so actually, they level out.

It's far more difficult being a small-business owner starting a business than it is for me with thousands of people working for us and 400 companies. Building a business from scratch is 24 hours, 7 days a week, divorces, it's difficult to hold your family life together, it's bloody hard work and only one word really matters - and that's surviving.

You need to ask yourself, ‘Where do you want to work: startups, mid-size or large companies?’ If you find yourself debating the ‘startup versus large company’ choice you’ve already chosen the big company. Entrepreneurship isn’t a career choice it’s a passion and obsession.

I once worked at a record label called London Records. The company was owned by Roger Ames, one of the most successful figures in the British music industry. Roger always placed a value on loafing, on holidays, on not being in the office all the time.

In talking to founder after founder; I've heard almost visceral reactions to working for companies, even very cool ones with great things to work on and lots of opportunity, like Facebook, Google, or consulting firms.

I vividly remember early on in my career when I was eight months pregnant, working literally around the clock, and worrying that each trip to the restroom or my need to catch the occasional catnap was causing my colleagues to question whether I could keep up.

Starting your own business isn't just a job - it's a way of life.

The hardest thing about this industry is not working.

There's nothing worse when you have a job, and you read something, and you're like, 'God. How am I possibly going to make this work?'

Marriage is a lot more challenging when you have a demanding career.

Aspiring entrepreneurs are often advised to work at a startup for a couple of years first, to understand what's involved. But often, each company's approach to success is very narrow. So my advice is, 'Just do it.'

Struggling to start a small business is all-encompassing. It is a 24-hour job that places strain on those involved. As well as worrying about your own mortgage and kids, you worry about those of your staff.

Your life is more important than your work.

Being an entrepreneur does, of course, give you greater freedom than someone who is tied to a fixed work schedule, but you'd be mistaken to think that you're going to have it easier than your 9-5 counterparts.

I've been on the other side where I know that a bad day at WWE beats the best day at Staples.

I chose to be in business, and I don't regret it.

Never bite off so much in your job that you can't spend a lot of time with your family.

I am very blessed to have this experience of being a parent, but do not negate me from this industry because I am a parent.

Women are really demanding more flexibility in the workplace. Control is the new currency.. Forty-six percent of women want to start their own small businesses.

I think the reality is that it's never been a better time to be an entrepreneur, it's never been a better time to work at a startup. You work at a really intellectually free environment, you get to work with people who are like-minded, it's very energetic. It's wonderful.

I don't know why anyone does the job without that pressure.

My advice for achieving success is to make a career choice that reflects your passion. Then work your craft a little bit each day - even if someone's not paying you to do it. Try to balance your social life with your educational (or professional) life, and have patience.

The choice that you really have is that you can go and work for TV which is so badly paid that you have to really churn them out which I think probably helps you develop certain muscles. I'm not sure though that you really want to have those muscles as a director.