Henry Ford: quotes, aphorisms, sayings

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Henry Ford is one of the most interesting personalities in history. His achievements are amazing, because it is not for nothing that he is called the man of the century and the one who became the "father" of the automotive industry.

Before moving on to the world-famous quotes and aphorisms of Henry Ford, which are hung in many offices around the world to motivate employees, it is worth getting acquainted with his biography.

A bit of biography

Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1963 near Detroit, near the city of Dearborn. His parents were farmers and were considered fairly we althy people. The father expected his son to continue his work.

At the age of 12, young Ford suffered the first shock - the death of his mother. This event had a very strong impact on the boy.

In the same 12 years, the future industrialist first saw a locomobile that moved under the action of an engine. Ford, impressed by what he saw, decided for himself that one day he would assemble a moving mechanism himself.

At 16years, despite the expectations of his father, Henry left for Detroit, where he began to work and study in a mechanical workshop. It was there that he gained his first knowledge of the operation of mechanisms and the basics of physics.

However, after 4 years, Ford still returned to the farm to make his father's work easier. During the day he worked in the field, and at night for his own pleasure - in the workshop. Thus was born his first invention - a gasoline-powered threshing machine for the field, which greatly facilitated the work of his father. And the father himself changed his attitude towards his son's hobby when he saw the fruits of his labors. The threshing machine soon aroused interest from the people around it, and Thomas Alva Edison became Ford's first major customer. Some time later, Henry got a job at the Edison company as a mechanical engineer.

Ford's first car

From 1891 to 1899, Ford remained in the same position, but literally did not forget for a second about his dream - to invent a car that would be accessible to ordinary people. Therefore, every night the engineer worked in his workshop, trying to implement his plan. The future entrepreneur was eager to give people something.

So, in 1893, the first Ford car appeared. But the management of the Edison company did not approve of such hobbies of employees. This was probably the main reason Henry Ford left the Edison Electric Company.

Despite the results, no one was particularly interested in Ford products. In order to demonstrate his invention, Henry drove his car around the city, but the residentsonly laughed at the "possessed" constructor.

Perhaps someone else would have been negatively affected by such an attitude of others, but not the great industrialist. He was literally inspired by the criticism and ridicule of others and sought to make his creation even better. Here are Henry Ford's sayings and quotes about this.

Obstacles appear when you stop believing in your goal.

The elimination of fear gives you self-confidence, so stand up and arm yourself, let the weak receive alms!

These Ford quotes are still used in various speeches and conferences to this day.

Car advertisement

Closing his eyes to the opinions of the crowd and to his own fears, in 1902 Ford took part in motor racing. His result literally shocked the whole country. He managed to get ahead of the reigning US champion in his personal car. Even then, Henry Ford quotes in English and other languages became popular around the world.

His products instantly caught the attention of others. The main goal was achieved - the car gained fame. About advertising, he spoke like this:

If I had 4 dollars, then 3 of them I would give to advertising.

Thanks to this position, already in 1903 he founded his first Ford Motor company and started manufacturing Ford A cars.

Success

Speaking of obstacles on the way, it is impossible to ignore the number of cases that werewon by Ford. The market was not ready for such an intensive growth in car production, and other manufacturers were indignant, seeing the achievements of Henry Ford. One of the longest trials took place from 1903 to 1911.

The main reason why Ford himself went to court was that other automakers copied the brainchild of the inventor, while not buying patents from him. It is known that many, even having received samples of some cars, could not sell them.

Further Achievements

Making cars as practical as possible, but at the same time cheap, Henry Ford achieved fast and high results. Already by 1908, he was known throughout the world as the "father" of the automobile industry and mainly due to the launch of sales of the new Ford-T car. This car was distinguished by a relatively low cost and, at the same time, a fairly high performance. And with all this, the price of a car fell every year, and there were more and more buyers. Ford gained popularity precisely because it always defended the interests of its customers. One of Ford's most famous quotes on this subject is presented below.

Put work for the common good before profit.

By 1920, Ford was selling more cars than anyone else on Earth.

He buys factories and builds new ones, acquires all the necessary equipment and actively invests in advertising. This is how Ford managed to build an entire empire completely independent of foreign trade.

The more the popularity of his case grew, the morejournalists, public figures and ordinary people showed more interest in the creator. It was then that Ford's quotes began to spread with incredible speed. Until now, his aphorisms arouse the interest of readers. See the best Henry Ford quotes below.

Ford said the following about achieving success:

Thinking is the hardest work; that's probably why so few do it.

Time doesn't like being wasted.

My secret to success lies in the ability to understand the other person's point of view and look at things from both his and my own points of view.

With passion you can achieve anything. Enthusiasm is the sparkle of your eyes, the swiftness of your gait, the strength of your handshake, an irresistible surge of energy and will to put your ideas into practice. Enthusiasm is the cornerstone of all progress! Only with him is success possible. Without it, you only have options.

The main use of capital is not to make more money, but to make money to improve life.

The desire to work and succeed leads to the very heights of human dreams.

Coming together is a start, staying together is progress, working together is success.

H. Ford quotes about work:

Thinking is the hardest work; that's probably why so few do it.

The hardest thing in the world is to think with your own head. That's probably why so fewpeople are doing it.

Quality is doing something right, even when no one is watching.

It seems that everyone was looking for the shortest road to money and at the same time bypassed the most direct one - the one that leads through work.

There is no reason why a person who wants to work should not receive full remuneration for his work. In the same way, there is no reason why a person who can work, but does not want to do it, should not pay for it. In any case, he will receive from society what he himself gave to society. If he did not give anything to society, then he has nothing to demand from society.

Other thoughts and statements by Ford:

If you have enthusiasm, you can do anything.

Thinking about the future, constantly thinking about how to do more, creates a state of mind where nothing seems impossible.

When it seems like the whole world is against you, remember that the plane takes off against the wind!

Our failures are more instructive than our successes.

Failure only gives you an excuse to start again and smarter. Honest failure is not shameful. Shameful is the fear of failure.

No matter what you think - you can or not - you are still right.

A person dies when he stops changing, and a funeral is just a formality.

The best friend is the one who will help us bring out the best in our soul.

Everyone who stops learning gets old, whether at 20 or 80, and anyone else who continues to learn stays young. The most important thing in life is to save the brainyoung.

The most brilliant plans are worth nothing if they are not implemented.

Specialists are so smart and experienced that they know exactly why this and that cannot be done, they see limits and obstacles everywhere. If I wanted to destroy competitors, I would provide them with hordes of specialists.

Danger creeps up on us along with the belief that we have provided for ourselves in life. This belief threatens that, at the next turn of the wheel, we will be thrown off.

About my wife

A significant role in Ford's life was played by his wife, Clara Jane Ford. When there was no light in the inventor's workshop, she held a kerosene lamp over it, while her hands turned blue and shivered from the cold. Henry Ford spoke warmly of her.

I don't care who I will be in my next lives, the main thing is that my wife is next to me.

Everyone around them called them crazy, but all that disappeared the day this "crazy" couple left the barn in a carriage that moved without the help of horses. This was the first test of an engine completely assembled by Ford.

History of the conflict with the court

Because Henry Ford was educated for only a couple of years at a church school, he did not have time to learn how to write correctly. For this, some "experts" decided to accuse him of ignorance, thereby disgracing him and ruining his reputation. His illiteracy was written in the newspaper, for which Ford sued the authors.

Lawyers were asking questions about how many men were sent to put down colonial uprisings in Britain, andthe like.

For every question, Henry Ford tried to answer with humor, which angered the lawyers, but at the same time amused the judge. And when Henry ran out of patience, he gave a magnificent speech that shocked everyone in the courtroom.

He talked about how he had a row of electric buttons hanging over his desk, and by pressing certain of them, he could get the answer to absolutely any of their stupid questions. He even sneered a little, saying that he could even get answers to questions that lawyers simply wouldn’t have the brains to ask.

Generally speaking, Henry Ford was brilliant in this kind of performance. Most of the cases in which he was involved almost always ended in his favor. According to Napoleon Hill, he was able to competently use organized knowledge and combined efforts.

How did Ford succeed?

The achievements of the industrialist were so great that in many economic universities the personality of Henry Ford and his path of success are allowed to be analyzed by students. One day, one of the students gave a report, which to this day is considered the most reliable, about the reasons for Ford's success. Napoleon Hill wrote about this in great detail, who devoted a very large part of his life to analyzing the character of various people, that is, both rich and poor.

The student talked about the fact that Henry Ford's assets consist of two items: the first is working capital, raw materials and finished products, and the second is knowledge gained from Ford's personal experience and because of his joint work with well a trained organization that knows howthe best way to apply this knowledge. At the same time, the student gave only 25% to the first item, while the second was all 75%. No one still knows how the student collected this information - whether on his own analysis or with the help of other minds.

Not a fact remains: Henry Ford managed to become the most economically powerful man on earth because he understood the practical side of the principle of organized effort better than anyone.

Conclusion

Henry Ford died in the same place where he was born, in the town of Dearborn. His company continues to operate to this day, giving people unique cars. By the way, it is headed by the great-grandson of a great entrepreneur.

Henry managed to realize the "American dream" and give people what they really lacked. Thus, he forever made his name not only in the history of the automotive industry, but also in the history of the United States and the whole world as a whole. Ford's quotes still inspire people on the path to self-realization to this day.