The world of tomorrow belongs to the person who has the vision for today.
A politician thinks of the next election; the statesman thinks of the next generation
I want the standard of living in Iran in ten years' time to be exactly on a level with that in Europe today. In twenty years' time we shall be ahead of the United States.
Begin with the end in mind.
People often overestimate what will happen in the next two years and underestimate what will happen in ten.
Failure is sometimes the best option if you view the process of entrepreneurship as a lifelong journey.
He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.
I've always had goals, always had visions, always had a plan, always been very strategic.
Statesmen think in terms of history and view society as an organism. Prophets are different since they believe absolute aims can be achieved in the foreseeable future. More people have been killed by crusaders than by statesmen.
When we build, let us think that we build for ever.
Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small. The difficult things in this world must be done while they are easy, the greatest things in the world must be done while they are still small. For this reason sages never do what is great, and this is why they achieve greatness.
If you look at space companies, they've failed either because they've had a technical solution where success was not a possible outcome, they were unable to attract a critical mass of talent, or they just ran out of money. The finish line is usually a lot further away than you think.
We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction.
If I always appear prepared, it is because before entering an undertaking, I have meditated long and have foreseen what might occur. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly and secretly what I should do in circumstances unexpected by others; it is thought and preparation
The difference between a politician and a statesman is: a politician thinks of the next election and a statesman thinks of the next generation.
The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.
Hope is not a strategy.
While our responses to the problems facing us immediately are also important, we cannot forget to carve out the future of Japan ten or one hundred years into the future. In doing so, we must not resort to superficial measures. Instead, it is imperative to engage in true reforms that ascertain the state of society we seek to achieve.
Successful reform requires a long-term vision, driven by political leadership.
I think, because I started Virgin when I was a teenager, it has become a part of me, like my family, and I am motivated by ambition for it, almost as if it were a child.
We can't continue to always base our strategy on the fact that the other guy is going to mess up all the time.
It's time to put country ahead of party. It's time to put the next generation ahead of the next election.
I never try to imagine the future. I kinda think it's a waste of time. I live in the now.
Every great company, brand, career has been built in exactly the same way: bit by bit, step by step, little by little.
The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardner objected that the tree was slow growing and wouldn't reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, "In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!
