Michael Porter Quotes

People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.

We all have many opportunities, but limited capacity to pursue them. Make choices, focus your time and energy, so that you can submit your share of masterpieces to the greater good.

And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We're always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it's only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.

The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.

In business, staying focused requires that you turn most opportunities down.

Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it's about deliberately choosing to be different.

One must say no to some opportunities to open the possibilities of others.

Choosing one path means abandoning others - if you try to follow every possible path you will end up following none.

I'm as proud of many of the things we haven't done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.

Choice means saying no to one thing so you can say yes to another.

It takes courage to set priorities because doing so is an admission that American policy cannot be all things to all people - or rather to all interest groups

The hard part of running a business is that there are a hundred things that you could be doing, and only five of those actually matter, and only one of them matters more than all of the rest of them combined. So figuring out there is a critical path thing to focus on and ignoring everything else is really important.

Great entrepreneurs focus intensely on an opportunity where others see nothing. This focus and intensity helps to eliminate wasted effort and distractions. Most companies die from indigestion rather than starvation, i.e., companies suffer from doing too many things at the same time rather than doing too few things very well.

Strategy 101 is about choices: You can't be all things to all people.

Saying 'yes' to one thing means saying 'no' to another. That's why decisions can be hard sometimes.

The essence of strategy is that you must set limits on what you're trying to accomplish.

Everything we do in public policy prevents us from doing something else. To govern is to choose.

I make a habit of asking myself, 'Is there purpose to this meeting or conversation? Do I want to build a relationship with this person or company? Is there purpose behind this meeting that aligns with my life and business strategy?' If the answer is 'No,' then I pass every time.

Need always plays into your decisions more as the draft unfolds.

I used to spend my time more on process than strategy. Now, I prioritize my time around strategy, people, and process.

Very successful people say no to almost everything.

Innovation is saying 'no' to 1,000 things.

Just because something is good doesn't mean we should pursue it right now. We have to remember that the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.

Living is nothing more or less than doing one thing instead of another.

I can DO ANYTHING I want, but I can't DO EVERYTHING I want.