The 10 Most Inspirational Quotes by Mark Zuckerberg
It’s astounding how many people use Facebook and don’t know about the man who created it. When sites such as MySpace were still all the rage Mark Zuckerberg was patiently and carefully developing a site where people could come together, share ideas, and even post ads for their services so that they could reach others on a much larger scale. He is one of the most innovative minds of the current era, and has even earned the honor of being dubbed as one of the most influential people in the entire world. At this point his net worth is in the billions, which is not too bad for a person that started his entire business in his dorm room with little more than an idea and a rented website.
Since the inception of Facebook in 2004 Zuckerberg has been on a roll, enticing millions of users to log in and see what the site has to offer. At this point in time the site is worth around $200 billion dollars, and it is one of the most widely used social media platforms in the world. As if that wasn’t enough, Zuckerberg is also a rather inspirational figure and has been quoted many times throughout his career as a successful CEO. Here are ten of his most noted quotes to date.
10. “The question I ask myself like almost every day is, ‘Am I doing the most important thing I could be doing?’ … Unless I feel like I’m working on the most important problem that I can help with, then I’m not going to feel good about how I’m spending my time.”
This quote seems very self-explanatory, and it’s a quote that many people can apply to their lives in several different ways. For Zuckerberg this could denote whether or not he is able to solve any issues his company might run into, or whatever issues that might affect the millions of Facebook users have not yet been solved. He is obviously a person that is somewhat restless when he knows there is still work to be done, which seems very normal for a CEO that is in charge of a site such as Facebook.
9. “In Silicon Valley, you get this feeling that you have to be out here. But it’s not the only place to be. If I were starting now, I would have stayed in Boston. [Silicon Valley] is a little short-term focused and that bothers me.”
Silicon Valley might not truly appreciate this quote, but they can’t really deny that it is kind of true. Facebook is not a short-term site and as such needs to be able to remain dynamic, always able to evolve to the needs of its users, and always expanding. Zuckerberg is obviously very protective of his business, which is understandable, and wants to see it keep growing rather than be bought off and fragmented as can happen in Silicon Valley.
8. “People don’t care about what someone says about you in a movie–or even what you say, right? They care about what you build.”
Like so many famous, innovative personalities, Zuckerberg was portrayed in a movie that showcased the rise of Facebook and what it took to get the site launched. While the movie was a work of fiction like so many others, it tried to highlight the process of Facebook becoming a real entity, but it did manage to trip now and again on the source material. In this quote it is obvious that Zuckerberg wants to be remembered more for what he does, and not how people might perceive his actions based on what they’ve seen onscreen.
7. “People can be really smart or have skills that are directly applicable, but if they don’t really believe in it, then they are not going to really work hard.”
Generalized statements are a dime a dozen and are easy to remember. For Zuckerberg however this statement is entirely true as his site demands constant maintenance and upkeep. If he hadn’t been diligent in creating and updating his site every so often to keep it moving forward then it stands to reason that Facebook would have remained a good idea without ever being made known to the public.
6. “This is a perverse thing, personally, but I would rather be in the cycle where people are underestimating us. It gives us the latitude to go out and make big bets that excite and amaze people.”
It’s usually easier to exist under the radar when people don’t expect too much. It can also be highly satisfying when you suddenly bust out a new idea or design that no one was expecting. Facebook was an idea that seemed to pop up overnight and from out of nowhere, becoming a worldwide phenomenon in what amounted to a very short time when compared to its competitors.
5. “Move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough.”
Many businesses move cautiously in an attempt to get their bearings and figure out what formula works and which does not. However there is something to be said for moving quickly and sorting out the issues as you go. Facebook’s CEO is known by now for taking bold strides that are considered to be rather hasty and even rash to the point of being ill-advised at times, but the gains that are achieved because of this tend to speak for themselves.
4. “A squirrel dying in your front yard may be more relevant to your interests right now than people dying in Africa.”
Such a quote might seem a little callous at times, but it does make a good point. Looking off to the horizon in an effort to solve problems that you have no control over can cause you to miss the issues that are right on your doorstep. By taking care of any issues that are in-house and easy to identify with, Zuckerberg has managed to keep his company running without losing sight of what is important.
3. “I literally coded Facebook in my dorm room and launched it from my dorm room. I rented a server for $85 a month, and I funded it by putting an ad on the site, and we’ve funded ever since by putting ads on the site.”
By allowing people to put their ads on Facebook and charging them for the service, Zuckerberg soon cashed in on a goldmine that is continuing to grow and expand with each passing year. This quote is pretty cut and dried in what it means and how he went about getting his business going.
2. “The question isn’t ‘What do we want to know about people?’ It’s, ‘What do people want to tell about themselves?”
Facebook isn’t just about ads, games, or whatever news people need to know. It is largely about what people want to reveal about themselves and what they want to share with the world at large. People are encouraged to share with others, to contribute to news stories, and to post whatever they feel is appropriate in order to make their thoughts known to others. In creating this site Zuckerberg has managed to pull millions of people together in a way that might never have happened without social media.
1. “In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”
As Zuckerberg has shown throughout his tenure the risk taken is the risk that often pays off. Playing it safe and second-guessing what might be a good idea is tantamount to giving up before the idea has even been finalized. The risks are often great when it comes to business and the launching of a new idea, but without taking those risks only one thing is guaranteed, and that is the fact that success will continue to remain an elusive goal.
Conclusion
Facebook has become a worldwide phenomenon that shows no sign of letting up or going away anytime soon, much to the delight of its millions of users. Mark Zuckerberg is without a doubt one of the few modern geniuses that has managed to latch onto an idea and make it work in a continual and very impressive manner. Whether he will continue to deliver this type of innovation in the future remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain, he’s become a true inspiration in this era and won’t soon be forgotten.
Related Articles
http://moneyinc.com/10-helpful-sites-entrepreneurs/