Branson’s best bits

He may have been milking that page-boy haircut for the best part of 50 years, but the man has accrued over £2.6 billion and counting. Here’s Richard Branson’s best quotes.

By Robert Carry

“I believe in benevolent dictatorship provided I am the dictator.”

– On top-down company governance.

“There is no one to follow, there is nothing to copy. We may even allow those aliens who landed here 50 years ago a chance to go home.”

– On his latest business venture, commercial space travel.

“For a successful entrepreneur it can mean extreme wealth. But with extreme wealth comes extreme responsibility.”

– Branson, ripping off Spiderman.

“I was dyslexic, I had no understanding of schoolwork whatsoever. I certainly would have failed IQ tests. And it was one of the reasons I left school when I was 15 years old. And if I’m not interested in something, I don’t grasp it.”

– Making excuses for being rubbish at school.

“Ridiculous yachts and private planes and big limousines won’t make people enjoy life more, and it sends out terrible messages to the people who work for them. It would be so much better if that money was spent in Africa – and it’s about getting a balance.”

– On corporate responsibility.

“I love the freedom of movement that my phone gives me. That has definitely transformed my life.”

– On new technology.

“All you have in life is your reputation: you may be very rich, but if you lose your good name, then you’ll never be happy. The thought will always lurk at the back of your mind that people don’t trust you. I had never really focused on what a good name meant before, but that night in prison made me understand.”

–  On having a Green Mile moment when jailed as a 21-year-old for bringing records into the UK from France without paying the tax.

“Lightning is something which, again, we would rather avoid.”

–  Deftly making a reporter look stupid for asking a ridiculous question.

“To be successful, you have to be out there, you have to hit the ground running, and if you have a good team around you and more than a fair share of luck, you might make something happen. But you certainly can’t guarantee it just by following someone else’s formula.”

–  On the importance of being innovative in business.

“My mother was determined to make us independent. When I was four years old, she stopped the car a few miles from our house and made me find my own way home across the fields. I got hopelessly lost.”

– On his mother’s reckless parenting strategy.

“The companies that look after their people are the companies that do really well. I’m sure we’d like a few other attributes, but that would be the most important one.”

– On how to build staff loyalty.

“Nobody’s ever called me Sir Richard. Occasionally in America, I hear people saying Sir Richard and think there’s some Shakespearean play taking place. But nowhere else anyway.”

– On the inherent ridiculousness of being a Knight of the Realm.

“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”

– On the frequency of good business ideas. The Virgin Brand has over 360 companies.

“With the casino and the beds, our passengers will have at least two ways to get lucky on one of our flights.”

– On the appeal of Virgin’s new plane interiors.

“A generation ago, the image was that you had to trample everyone else down to succeed – but I don’t believe that makes good business sense. If you’re the kind of person that jumps down the throat of people, you’re not going to be successful.”

– On the changing face of business.

“The funny thing is people won’t let me pay for things. I`ll be in a restaurant and the manager will say: ‘Oh no, it’s on the house.’”

– On the irony of not needing money when you have tons of it.

“What’s the quickest way to become a millionaire? Borrow fivers off everyone you meet.”

– On the fast-track to getting wealthy.