Henry Ford is one of the most interesting personalities in history. His achievements are amazing, because it is not in vain that he is called the man of the century and the one who became the "father" of the automotive industry.
Before moving on to the world famous quotes and aphorisms of Henry Ford, which are hung in many offices of the world to motivate employees, it is worth getting acquainted with his biography.
A little biography
Henry Ford was born July 30, 1963 near Detroit, in the vicinity of Dearborn. His parents were farmers and were considered quite wealthy people. The father hoped that his son would continue his work.
At 12, young Ford suffered the first shock - the death of his mother. This event greatly affected the boy.
In the same 12 years, the future industrialist first saw a locomobile that was moving under the influence of an engine. Ford, being impressed by what he saw, decided for himself that one day he would independently assemble a moving mechanism.
At age 16, despite the expectations of his father, Henry went to Detroit, where he began to work and study in a mechanical workshop. There he gained his first knowledge of the operation of mechanisms and the basics of physics.
However, after 4 years, Ford still returned to the farm to facilitate the work of his father. During the day he worked in the field, and at night for his pleasure - in the workshop. Thus was born his first invention - a gas grinder for the field, which greatly facilitated the work of his father. Yes, and the father himself changed his attitude to the hobby of his son when he saw the fruits of his labors. Soon the thresher aroused interest from the people around him, the first major customer of Ford was Thomas Alva Edison. After some time, Henry got a job in Edison's company as a mechanical engineer.
Ford's first car
From 1891 to 1899, Ford remained in the same position, but literally never for a second forgot about his dream - to invent a car that would be accessible to ordinary people. Therefore, every night the engineer worked in his workshop, trying to implement his plan. The future entrepreneur was eager to give people something.
So, in 1893, the first Ford car appeared. But the Edison company management did not approve of such employee hobbies. This was probably the main reason for Henry Ford to leave Edison Electric Company.
Despite the results, no one was particularly interested in Ford products. In order to demonstrate his invention, Henry rode around the city in his car, but the residents only laughed at the "obsessed" designer.
Perhaps, for someone else, a similar attitude of others would have negatively affected, but not the great industrialist. He was literally inspired by criticism and ridicule of others and sought to make his creation even better. Here are the comments and quotes from Henry Ford on this subject.
Obstacles arise when you stop believing in your goal.
Removing fear gives you self-confidence, so stand up and arm yourself, let the weak receive alms!
These Ford quotes are still used in various speeches and at conferences.
Car advertisement
Turning a blind eye to the opinions of the crowd and to their own fears, in 1902 Ford took part in a car race. His result literally shocked the whole country. He managed to get ahead of the current US champion in his personal car. Even then, Henry Ford quotes in English and other languages became popular around the world.
His products instantly gained the attention of others. The main goal was achieved - the car gained fame. About advertising, he responded like this:
If I had 4 dollars, then I would give 3 of them for advertising.
Thanks to this position, he already founded his first Ford Motor company in 1903 and began production of Ford A.
Success
Speaking of obstacles, it is impossible to go unnoticed by the number of cases that Ford won. The market was not ready for such an intense increase in automobile production, and other manufacturers were indignant at the achievements of Henry Ford's company. One of the longest proceedings took place from 1903 to 1911.
The main reason why Ford himself went to court was that other automakers copied the brainchild of the inventor, without buying patents from him. It is known that many, even having received samples of some cars, could not sell them.
Further Achievements
Making cars as practical as possible, but cheap at the same time, Henry Ford achieved fast and high results. By 1908, he was known around the world as the “father” of the automotive industry and mainly due to the launch of sales of the new Ford-T car. This car was characterized by a relatively low cost and at the same time quite high performance. And with all this, the price of the car fell every year, and there were more and more buyers. Ford gained popularity precisely because it always defended the interests of its customers. One of Ford's most famous quotes on this subject is presented below.
Put work for the common good above profit.
By 1920, Ford was selling more cars than anyone else on Earth.
He buys factories and builds new ones, acquires all the necessary equipment and actively invests in advertising. It was in this way that Ford managed to build an entire empire, completely independent of foreign trade.
The more his business grew in popularity, the more interest was shown to the creator by journalists, public figures and ordinary people. Then Ford's quotes began to spread at an incredible rate. Until now, his aphorisms have aroused the interest of readers. See Henry Ford's best quotes below.
Ford about success said the following:
Thinking is the hardest job; that’s probably why so few are doing it.
Time does not like to be wasted.
My secret to success lies in the ability to understand the point of view of another person and look at things from both his and his own points of view.
With enthusiasm, you can achieve everything. Enthusiasm is the brilliance of your eyes, the swiftness of your walk, the strength of your handshake, the irresistible burst of energy and will to put your ideas into practice. Enthusiasm is the cornerstone of all progress! Only with him is success possible. Without it, you have only opportunities.
The main benefit of capital is not to make more money, but to make money for the sake of improving life.
The desire to work and succeed leads to the very heights of human dreams.
Getting together is the beginning, staying together is progress, working together is success.
Quotes from Ford about labor:
Thinking is the hardest job; that’s probably why so few do.
The hardest thing in the world is to think with your own head. That's probably why so few people do this.
Quality is doing things right, even when no one is looking.
It seems that everyone was looking for the shortest way to money and at the same time avoided the most direct one, the one that leads through labor.
There is no reason that a person who wants to work does not receive a full reward for his work. In the same way, there is no reason for a person who can work, but does not want to do this, not to pay for it. In any case, he will receive from society what he himself has given to society. If he did not give society anything, then he has nothing to demand from society.
Other thoughts and sayings Ford:
If you have enthusiasm, you can accomplish anything.
Thoughts about the future, constant thinking about how to do more, give rise to a state of mind in which nothing seems impossible.
When it seems that the whole world is against you, remember that the plane takes off against the wind!
Our failures are more instructive than our successes.
Failures give only reason to start again and more smartly. Honest failure is not shameful. Shame on the fear of failure.
It doesn’t matter what you think - whether you can or not - you are right anyway.
A person dies when it stops changing, and a funeral is just a formality.
The best friend is the one who will help us to show the best that is in our souls.
Everyone who stops learning, gets old - no matter at the age of 20 or 80 - and anyone else who continues to study remains young. The most important thing in life is to keep the brain young.
The most ingenious plans do not cost anything if they are not implemented.
Specialists are so smart and experienced that they know exactly why this and that cannot be done, they see limits and obstacles everywhere. If I wanted to destroy competitors, I would provide them with hordes of specialists.
Danger creeps up to us along with the conviction that we have provided for ourselves in life. This belief threatens that, at the next turn of the wheel, we will be reset.
About wife
A significant role in the life of Ford was played by his wife, Clara Jane Ford. When there was no light in the inventor's workshop, she held a kerosene lamp above him, while her hands turned blue and trembled from the cold. Henry Ford spoke warmly about her.
It makes no difference to me who I will be in my next lives, the main thing is that my wife be next to me.
All around called them abnormal, but it all disappeared on the day when this "crazy" couple left the barn in a wheelchair that moved without the help of horses. This was the first test engine completely assembled by Ford.
Court Conflict History
Since Henry Ford was educated for only a couple of years at a church school, he did not have time to learn to write correctly. For this, some "experts" decided to accuse him of ignorance, thereby dishonoring him and ruining his reputation. About his illiteracy was written in the newspaper, for which Ford sued the authors.
Lawyers asked questions about how many people were sent to suppress the uprisings of the colonies in Britain, and the like.
Henry Ford tried to answer every question with humor, which angered the lawyers, but at the same time amused the judge. And when Henry ran out of patience, he delivered a magnificent speech that shocked everyone who was in the courtroom.
He talked about the fact that a number of electric buttons hang above his desktop, and when you click on certain of them, he can get an answer to any of their silly questions. He even barked a little, saying that he could get answers even to those questions that lawyers simply would not have enough brains to ask.
Generally speaking, Henry Ford was brilliant in such appearances. Most of the cases in which he participated almost always ended in his favor. According to Napoleon Hill, he was able to competently use organized knowledge and joint efforts.
How did Ford succeed?
The achievements of the industrialist were so great that in many economic universities the personality of Henry Ford and his path of success are given to students to analyze. One day, one of the students made a report, which to this day is considered the most reliable about the reasons for the success of Ford. This was written in great detail by Napoleon Hill, who devoted a very large part of his life to the analysis of the nature of various people, that is, both rich and poor.
The student said that Henry Ford’s assets consist of two points: the first is working capital, raw materials and finished products, and the second is knowledge gained from the personal experience of Ford itself and because of his collaboration with a well-trained organization that knows how best to apply this knowledge. At the same time, the student gave only 25% to the first item, while to the second one all 75%. No one still knows how the student collected this information - whether on his own analysis or with the help of other minds.
Not a fact remains: Henry Ford managed to become the most economically strong man on earth, because he best understood the practical side of the principle of organized efforts.
Conclusion
Henry Ford died in the same place where he was born in the town of Dearborn. His company continues to operate to this day, giving people unique cars. By the way, her great-grandson of a great entrepreneur leads her.
Henry managed to realize the "American dream" and give people something that they really lacked. Thus, he forever made his name not only in the history of the automotive industry, but also in the history of the United States and the whole world. Ford's quotes to this day inspire people on the road to self-realization.