Jeff Bezos: 20 Authentic Quotes

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, is known for his visionary approach to business, innovation, and long-term thinking. Below is a collection of 20 authentic quotes attributed to him, reflecting his insights on entrepreneurship, customer focus, and leadership.

1. “We are stubborn on vision. We are flexible on details.”

2. “Your margin is my opportunity.”

3. “If you double the number of experiments you do per year, you’re going to double your inventiveness.”

4. “A company shouldn’t get addicted to being shiny, because shiny doesn’t last.”

5. “I believe you have to be willing to be misunderstood if you’re going to innovate.”

6. “The best customer service is if the customer doesn’t need to call you, doesn’t need to talk to you. It just works.”

7. “There are two kinds of companies: those that work to try to charge more and those that work to charge less. We will be the second.”

8. “What’s dangerous is not to evolve.”

9. “If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon. And if you’re not flexible, you’ll pound your head against the wall.”

10. “In the old world, you devoted 30% of your time to building a great service and 70% of your time to shouting about it. In the new world, that inverts.”

11. “We innovate by starting with the customer and working backwards.”

12. “If you’re competitor-focused, you have to wait until there is a competitor doing something. Being customer-focused allows you to be more pioneering.”

13. “The thing that I have learned is that you have to be willing to accept that you’re going to be misunderstood if you’re going to do anything new.”

14. “One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.”

15. “Work hard, have fun, make history.”

16. “You don’t want to negotiate the price of simple things you buy every day.”

17. “If you never want to be criticized, for goodness’ sake don’t do anything new.”

18. “The common question that gets asked in business is, ‘Why?’ That’s a good question, but an equally valid question is, ‘Why not?’”

19. “We’ve had three big ideas at Amazon that we’ve stuck with for 18 years, and they’re the reason we’re successful: Put the customer first. Invent. And be patient.”

20. “You have to be willing to accept the fact that you’re going to fail, and that’s okay.”

These quotes capture Bezos’ emphasis on customer obsession, innovation, and resilience in the face of challenges.