Phil Knight

“Like it or not, life is a game. Whoever denies that truth, whoever simply refuses to play, gets left on the sidelines.”

“We posted two million dollars in sales last year, none of which had anything to do with Onitsuka.”

“Nothing had changed, least of all me, and yet I was worth a hundred and seventy-eight million dollars.”

“And those who urge entrepreneurs to never give up? Charlatans. Sometimes you have to give up. Sometimes knowing when to give up, when to try something else is genius. Giving up doesn't mean stopping. Don't ever stop.”

“Because I realized it wasn't selling. I believed in running. I believe that if people got out and ran a few miles every day, the world would be a better place. And I believed these shoes were better to run in. People sensing my belief wanted some of that belie…”

“Now, what is remarkable about that is, I think, six years later, when Nike IPOs, Phil Knight converted that loan to stock, and that 8000 dollars was worth 1.6 Million.”

“So every other weekend I'd load a duffel bag with tigers. This is the shoe, the brand of shoe that he's selling. Put on my army uniform and head out to the local airbase. Seeing the uniform, the MPs would wave me onto the next military transport To San Francis…”

“And of course, the name for Nike comes from Jeff Johnson. It says, Johnson phone first thing this morning. Apparently a new name came to him in a dream last night. What is the name? I asked Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.”

“It takes like seven years for Blue Ribbon to be able to afford for Phil Knight to quit his job and start working at his own company full time.”

“Business was no more about making money than being human is about making blood. Yes, the human body needs blood, but that day-to-day business of the human body isn't our mission as human beings. It's a basic process that enables our higher aims, and life alway…”

“I'd tell men and women in their mid-twenties not to settle for a job or a profession or even a career. Seek a calling. Even if you don't know what that means, seek it. If you're following your calling, the fatigue will be easier to bear. The disappointments wi…”

“History is one long processional of crazy ideas. The things I love most, books, sports, democracy, free enterprise, started as crazy ideas.”