Who doesn’t love a good quote? Whether it’s to get us inspired, motivated to rule the world, or just to help us get in the right mindset, quotes seem to never go out of style and always seem to help us when we need it the most.
That said, here’s our Ultimate List of 100 (or so) Branding & Marketing Quotes to rule your day
1. “Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you.” – Tony Hsieh
Translation: Live by purpose and you’ll find your way
2. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost
Translation: It’s not about what happens to you, but how you respond.
3. “A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is — it is what consumers tell each other it is.” – Scott Cook
Translation: It’s not B2b or B2c, but P2P. People to People.
4. “Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working.” – Pablo Picasso
Translation: You gotta put the work in if you want the results
5. “Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right once.” – Drew Houston
Translation: We’re all 1 step away from greatness. Remember that!
6. “Love the life you live. Live the life you love.” – Bob Marley
Translation: None needed…It’s Bob! 🇯🇲
7. “The key is, no matter what story you tell, make your buyer the hero.” – Chris Brogan
Translation: Be the guide and solve the problem your customer has
8. “Here’s everything you need to know about creating killer content in 3 simple words: Clear. Concise. Compelling.” – Demian Farnworth
Translation: Follow those rules and dominate your market 📚
9. “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” – Guy Kawasaki
Translation: If we all had a dollar for every million dollar idea — Imagine that!
10. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
Translation: I choose adventure. You? 🚵♂️
11. “A picture is worth a thousand words, and your brand’s visual identity is worth much more.”
Translation: While not everything, your design matters more than you think (like a 🐝 to the world)
12. “The key ingredient to better content is separating the single from the stream.” – David Hahn
Translation: What do you do to make your content stand out and POP?
13. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill
Translation: Welcome to hell where you’re welcomed to sell 🙂
14. “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” – Napoleon Hill
Translation: Everything we do should be deemed great. Life is a privledge
15. “If you are not a Brand, you are a Commodity.” – Phillip Kotler
Translation: Be something to someone or risk being nothing to everyone
16. “Actually talk to your customers. Use the language that they use. Talk about the things they talk about. Never feed salad to a lion.” – Jay Acunzo
Translation: We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. LISTEN. 👂
17. “If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” – Reid Hoffman
Translation: Don’t be paralyzed by perfection. it’s a myth. Launch already! 🧚♂️
18. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein
Translation: Give value and watch doors open up. 🚪
19. “Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business.” – Steve Forbes
Translation: Are you doubling down? 🃏
20. “Usability is about people and how they understand and use things, not about technology.” – Steve Krug
Translation: UX is like psychology for the online world
21. “The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing.” – Walt Disney
Translation: Just. Do. It. Already.
22. “I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
Translation: And then bam! It goes off like a 💡
23. “If the reputation of a company’s products and services is its face, the talent brand is its heart and soul.” – Hank Stringer & Rusty Rueff
Translation: The goal is to have a great face mixed with an amazing talent to provide value
24. “There is no design without discipline. There is no discipline without intelligence.” – Massimo Vignelli
Translation: They go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly 🥪
25. “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t — you’re right.” – Henry Ford
Translation: We all have a choice. What do you choose?
26. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Translation: Crave change? It starts with us. What are you waiting for?
27. “If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.” – Zig Ziglar
Translation: Build trust at every touchpoint and your customers will reward you. Over and over again.
28. “Bad design is smoke, while good design is a mirror.” – Juan-Carlos Fernandez
Translation: Don’t let your brand disapate like smoke, keep reflecting 🔥
29. “Always deliver more than expected.” – Larry Page
Translation: Do more. Always.
30. “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson
Translation: Give a bit more. What’s the worst that can happen?
31. “A brand is a voice and a product is a souvenir.” – Lisa Gansky
Translation: What are you taking home to remember and to hold onto? 👑
32. “Consistency is one of the most powerful usability principles: when things always behave the same, users don’t have to worry about what will happen. Instead, they know what will happen based on earlier experience.” – Jakob Nielsen
Translation: It’s for them, not for you. Stay consistent.
33. “High expectations are the key to everything.” – Sam Walton
Translation: This is an internal CTA. What is your org doing to achieve greatness?
34. “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” -Thomas Jefferson
Translation: No surprise here. Luck is waiting for us all ☘️
35. “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” – Henry Ford
Translation: Too many ideas and not enough strategic planning to get the idea launched
36. “Usability is like love. You have to care, you have to listen, and you have to be willing to change. You’ll make mistakes along the way, but that’s where growth and forgiveness come in.” – Jeffrey Zeldman
Translation: You have to have empathy with your customers
37. “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth
Translation: Rocky Balboa in Rocky I. Nuff’ said. 🥊
38. “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” – Herman Melville
Translation: And remember to give credit where credit is due
39. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffet
Translation: We’re all under the microscope so act accordingly 🔬
40. “Designing a product is designing a relationship.” – Steve Rogers
Translation: Quality over quantatity is the golden ratio here
41. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates
Translation: We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. LISTEN. 👂
42. “Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.” – Paul Rand
Translation: Shhhhh. We’re judging you with our eyes 👀
43. “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” – Seth Godin
Translation: It’s the gut feeling that your brand gives off that matters
44. “User-centered design means understanding what your users need, how they think, and how they behave – and incorporating that understanding into every aspect of your process.” – Jesse James Garrett
Translation: How often do you tear apart your customer journey to make it better?
45. “Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” – Stephen R. Covey
Translation: External and internal alignment equates to soaring profits. 📈
46. “Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time.” – Elon Musk
Translation: What is the perception your brand is giving off? Are you happy with it?
47. “If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.” – Howard Schultz
Translation: Provide value over everything and watch your tribe grow
48. “Users do not care about what is inside the box, as long as the box does what they need done.” – Jef Raskin
Translation: Focus on what’s important and the outcome
49. “Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress.” – Seth Godin
Translation: Small steps moves mountains. Waiting for perfection moves bowels 🙂 ⛰
50. “Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image.” – David Ogilvy
Translation: Advertising is just another page in the ever-evolving story of your brand 📚
51. “Products are made in a factory but brands are created in the mind.” – Walter Landor
Translation: Hearts and mind to be exact 💌
52. “Design is intelligence made visible.” – Alina Wheeler
Translation: Let’s not design for design purposes, but design in a strategic, smart way
53. “If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.” – Mario Andretti
Translation: What is control anyway? Pretty subjective if you ask me.
54. “If you don’t give the market the story to talk about, they’ll define your brand’s story for you.” – David Brier
Translation: Brand is what THEY say it is. Not what YOU say it is
55. “Your personal brand serves as your best protection against business factors you can’t control.” – Dan Schawbel
Translation: Protect your personal brand like your career depends on it, because more than likely it does
56. “There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.” – Milton Glaser
Translation: But make sure that wow factor is also produced on time and on budget 😎
57. “Never, never, never give up.” – Winston Churchill
Translation: if you’re not making progress…You’re dying!
58. “Your brand is a story unfoling across all customer touch points.” – Jonah Sachs
Translation: Buckle up. There are endless brand touchpoints. Which matter most? 🏎
59. “Personal branding is about managing your name — even if you don’t own a business — in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records.” – Tim Ferriss
Translation: Manage your reputation best you could, both online and offline 🌎
60. “Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.” – Robert L. Peters
Translation: And the the future is now! 🤖
61. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
Translation: What’s your bounce back rate? Focus on that, not failure.
62. “A brand is not just a logo, a website, or your business cards… it’s an experience.”
Translation: It’s more than an experience. It’s experience + perception (mixed with a bit of aesthetics)
63. “Branding is the process of connecting good strategy with good creativity.” – Marty Neumeier
Translation: Seek the harmony between the two and focus on providing value to your audience
64. “Your brand is not what you sell.” – John Iwata
Translation: Stop being so fcking transactional and build a brand of purpose and pride
65. “If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.” – James Cameron
Translation: Do you have a BHAG? What is it? 🏆
66. “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” – Jeff Bezos
Translation: Your brand is your reputation. What are people saying behind your back? 🙉
67. “Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking chords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.” – Sir Richard Branson
Translation: Commit to be great
68. “We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.” – Jimmy Neil Smith
Translation: Let’s meet on the stoop and pass the time together telling stories
69. “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon
Translation: And just like that, another day, week, month, and year is ending.
70. “Today, People are the most effective Marketing channel of your Brand.”
Translation: Word of mouth is still king and isn’t going away anytime soon 🤴
71. “The most important thing to remember is you must know your audience.” – Lewis Howes
Translation: If you know them, they’ll tell you everything
72. “Pro tip: Watch political campaigns. That’s where innovation is happening in content marketing.” – Devon Hopkins
Translation: WTF is happening this year then? 🤦♂️
73. “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” – Mother Teresa
Translation: Remember Biggie. Spread love, it’s the Brooklyn way! 🌇
74. “Every interaction, in any form, is branding.” – Seth Godin
Translation: Every touchpoint is an opportunity to build trust
75. “Your personal brand is a promise to your clients… a promise of quality, consistency, competency, and reliability.” – Jason Hartman
Translation: What do you promise with your personal brand?
76. “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” – General George Patton
Translation: Find me on the third pasture with land, a view, and time to think and create
77. “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” – Margaret Mead
Translation: You’re a 1-OAK. A great big tree full of like. 🔥
78. “Brand is the story. Design is the storytelling.” – Susan Sellers
Translation: We need harmony across all departments to build something amazing
79. “Your brand is a gateway to your true work.” – Dave Buck
Translation: It’s everything you are, believe in, and give off
80. “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein
Translation: Who else is having a blast? 🎢
81. “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Translation: What’s on the table today is predicated on yesterdays work. ⏰
82. “Define what your brand stands for, its core values and tone of voice, and then communicate consistently in those terms.” – Simon Mainwaring
Translation: Consistency in everything is essential to scale ⚖️
83. “A brand’s strength is built upon its determination to promote its own distinctive values and mission.” – Professor Jean-Noel Kapferer
Translation: Draw your line in the sand and plant your flag. This is your positioning. Your value proposition. 🏁
84. “Creativity about life, in all aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.” – Leo Burnett
Translation: And what a blank canvas it is 🌎
85. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller
Translation: This is why we try and serve the hearts and minds of our customers.
86. “Brand yourself before others do.” – Unknown
Translation: Control of your personal brand before the world dictates who you are 🌎
87. “If you’re your authentic self, you have no competition.” – Scott Stratten
Translation: The ultimate blue ocean strategy. Authenticity 🐳
88. “Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with your marketing.” – Mike Volpe
Translation: Experiment with everything. Especially those “tried and true” theories 🤔
89. “Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” – Anne Frank
Translation: Positivity fosters positivity. Be the the light!
90. “When you look at a strong brand, you see a promise.” – Jim Mullen
Translation: Live your brand promise and win the hearts and minds of your audience
91. “Brand is the holistic sum of customers’ experiences, composed of visual, tonal and behavioral brand components, many of which are shaped by interaction design.” – Kate Kaplan
Translation: It’s that, and then some. 😎
92. “The consumer is not a moron; she is your wife.” – David Ogilvy
Translation: None needed, just posting a quote 😎
93. “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Translation: Seek the road less traveled and find yourself. Literally!
94. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” – Steve Martin
Translation: Play your game, consistently. 🎳
95. “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas
Translation: It’s not for you, but for them (your audience). They make or break your art.
96. “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” – Simon Sinek
Translation: This TED TAlk changed my life in 2011. Just saying!
97. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius
Translation: Stillness is the key 🗝
98. “Branding is the art of becoming knowable, likable and trustable.” – John Jantsch
Translation: It’s as much an art as it is a science these days
99. “Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.” – Salvador Dalí
Translation: Perfection doesn’t exist, but perfect practice does
100. “Know thyself. Know the customer. Innovate.” – Beth Comstock
Translation: What problem do you solve and for whom? Tell me in the comments! 👇
