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John D. Rockefeller Quotes (1839-1937)
About John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller (8 July 1839 – 23 May 1937) was an American business tycoon, industrialist, and book-keeper, most famous for his role in the early petroleum-industry and the founding of Standard Oil. Measured in today's dollars, Rockefeller is the richest person in the history of mankind. He was also the first billionaire (in US dollars) in history. With his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his advisor Frederick Taylor Gates, he established the Rockefeller Foundation, "to promote the well-being of mankind throughout the world."
Best John D. Rockefeller Quotes
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Explore our curated collection of the most famous and impactful John D. Rockefeller quotes.
“Try to turn every disaster into an opportunity.”
“I would rather hire a man with enthusiasm, than a man who knows everything.”
“The day of combination is here to stay. Individualism has gone, never to return.”
“The most important thing for a young man is to establish a credit — a reputation, character.”
“The impression was gaining ground with me that it was a good thing to let the money be my slave and not make myself a slave to money.”
“The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee, and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun.”
“I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of money for money's sake.”
“I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.”
“I was early taught to work as well as play,
My life has been one long, happy holiday;
Full of work and full of play —
I dropped the worry on the way —
And God was good to me every day.”
My life has been one long, happy holiday;
Full of work and full of play —
I dropped the worry on the way —
And God was good to me every day.”
“I believe the power to make money is a gift of God … to be developed and used to the best of our ability for the good of mankind. Having been endowed with the gift I possess, I believe it is my duty to make money and still more money and to use the money I make for the good of my fellow man according to the dictates of my conscience.”
John D. Rockefeller Quotes by Topic
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John D. Rockefeller on Failure 2 quotes
“I have no use for men who fail. The cause of their failure is no business of mine, but I want successful men as my associates.”
John D. Rockefeller on Money 2 quotes
“I know of nothing more despicable and pathetic than a man who devotes all the hours of the waking day to the making of money for money's sake.”
John D. Rockefeller on Insults
John D. Rockefeller on Business
“A friendship founded on business, which Mr. Flagler used to say was a good deal better than a business founded on friendship.”
Quotes About John D. Rockefeller
Gain deeper perspective through quotes about John D. Rockefeller from others.
Eugene V. Debs on John D. Rockefeller 2 quotes
“Competition was natural enough at one time, but do you think you are competing today? Many of you think you are. Against whom? Against Rockefeller? About as I would if I had a wheelbarrow and competed with the Santa Fe from here to Kansas City.”
Amy Goodman Democracy Now! on John D. Rockefeller
“Even the Rockefeller family, which made its vast fortune on oil, has begun divesting from fossil fuel companies. Stephen Heintz, an heir of Standard Oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, said, "We are quite convinced that if he were alive today, as an astute businessman looking out to the future, he would be moving out of fossil fuels and investing in clean, renewable energy."”
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn on John D. Rockefeller
“I despise the rule of Rockefeller and Morgan as much as that of King or Kaiser, and am as outraged by Ludlow and Calumet as by Belgium.”
Kate Richards O'Hare on John D. Rockefeller
“Of course John D. Rockefeller does not realize the fact, but it is true nevertheless that the Hookworm Commission he is supporting in the South is doing more for the revolutionary awakening in Dixie than anything else.”
Walter Rodney on John D. Rockefeller
“It is a common myth within capitalist thought that the individual through drive and hard work can become a capitalist. In the U.S.A., it is usual to refer to an individual like John D. Rockefeller, Sr., as someone who rose "from rags to riches." To complete the moral of the Rockefeller success story, it would be necessary to fill in the details on all the millions of people who had to be exploited in order for one man to become a multimillionaire. The acquisition of wealth is not due to hard work alone, or the Africans working as slaves in America and the West Indies would have been the wealthiest group in the world. The individualism of the capitalist must be seen against the hard and unrewarded work of the masses.”
Disputed Quotes
Quotes attributed to John D. Rockefeller that are questionable.
“Good management consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people.”
Misattributed Quotes
Quotes mistakenly credited to John D. Rockefeller
About John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller (8 July 1839 – 23 May 1937) was an American business tycoon, industrialist, and book-keeper, most famous for his role in the early petroleum-industry and the founding of Standard Oil. Measured in today's dollars, Rockefeller is the richest person in the history of mankind. He was also the first billionaire (in US dollars) in history. With his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his advisor Frederick Taylor Gates, he established the Rockefeller Foundation, "to promote the well-being of mankind throughout the world."