Soichiro Honda

Soichiro Honda was a Japanese industrialist born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. He founded Honda Motor Company.

Sourced

• Success can only be achieved through repeated failure and introspection.
  • Source: Davis, W. (1991) "The Innovators", in Henry, J. and Walker, D. Managing Innovation, London, Sage

Unsourced

• Success is 99% failure.

• We only have one future, and it will be made of our dreams, if we have the courage to challenge convention.

• Real happiness lies in the completion of work using your own brains and skills.

• Racing improves the breed.

• What we learn through failure becomes a precious part of us, strengthening us in everything we do. So let the tough things make you tougher.

• We will not be content with this victory alone [first win in F1]. We will study why we won and aggressively apply those winning technologies to new cars.

• Enjoying your work is essential. If your work becomes an expression of your own ideas, you will surely enjoy it.

• After materials are carried into the factory, nothing but products should be carried out from it.

• If Honda does not race, there is no Honda.

• Since I was a small child, one of my dreams has been to compete in motor vehicle races all over the world with a vehicle of my own making, and to win.

• Because the water raises rice and the fishes live in the water, I don’t want to contaminate it.

• Success represents the 1% of your work which results from the 99% that is called failure.
  • Possibly from an Economist article

• The value of life can be measured by how many times your soul has been deeply stirred.

• If you hire only those people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are. Always remember that you often find outstanding people among those you don't particularly like.

• "When Congress passes new emission standards, we hire 50 more engineers and GM hires 50 more lawyers." - Playboy Interview