Watch highlights from Tom's speeches
The Business of Belief: Why We Believe What We Believe in Business and Life
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas John Watson, Sr., founder of IBM, 1943
"There is no need for any individual to have a computer in their home." - Ken Olson, President, Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"There is not the slightest indication that [nuclear energy] will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will." - Albert Einstein, 1932
"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" - H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927
"If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one." - Dr. W. C. Heuper, National Cancer Institute, 1954
"640K ought to be enough for anybody." - Bill Gates
"The talking motion picture will not supplant the regular silent motion picture. There is such a tremendous investment to pantomime pictures that it would be absurd to disturb it." - Thomas Edison, 1913
"Video won't be able to hold onto any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." - Darryl F. Zanuck, Head of 20th Century-Fox Studios, 1946
"With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market for itself." - BusinessWeek, 1968
"By 1980 we will be self-sufficient and will not need to rely on foreign enemies for energy." - Richard Nixon
"I have traveled the length of this country, and have talked with the best people in business administration. I assure you on the highest authority that data processing is a fad and won't last out the year." - Editor, Prentice Hall, 1957
"Everything that can be invented has been invented." - Charles Duell, 1899, Commissioner of U.S. Officeof Patents
"You ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck." - Jim Denny, Manager of the Grand Ole Opry, 1954, to Elvis Presley, the evetual King of Rock and Roll
It tells me this:
"Nobody knows anything.” - William Goldman, Adventures in the Screen Trade
So . . . trust yourself, not what others say is achievable. Live your dreams. Create the unimagined future. The only thing stopping you is you.
Note: To see who said what, highlight the blank space after each quote. You may be surprised.
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c684b53ef011168cee067970c
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference What does all of this tell you?:
The comments to this entry are closed.
This is the sort of inspiration i needed Tom. Always good to read your thoughts...
Cheers from Brazil
Gabriel Rossi
Posted by: Gabriel Rossi- Branding | March 10, 2009 at 10:28 AM
Tom---Thanks. Just what this orange needed to be reminded of today. You are so good to us. What's in it for you? :)
Posted by: Laura Eaton | March 10, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Thank you Gabriel and Laura. I appreciate your kind words. And Laura, I simply need to understand how best I can help.
Posted by: Tom Asacker | March 10, 2009 at 01:39 PM
Great post. Really, really interesting.
Posted by: Carolyn Jewel | March 11, 2009 at 03:19 PM