40 Motivational Soichiro Honda Quotes

Soichiro Honda was a Japanese Engineer and Industrialist, which in 1948, established Honda.

Soichiro Honda dying in 1991, expanded Honda from manufacturing bicycle motors to multinational automobiles and motorcycles.

Here are 40 Motivational Soichiro Honda Quotes:

1. “It wasn’t necessary to be born a nobleman or rich to succeed in life.” – Soichiro Honda

2. “I just wouldn’t give in, no way.” – Soichiro Honda

3. “I think best when I have a wrench in my hands.” – Soichiro Honda

4. “If you make a superior product, people will buy it.” – Soichiro Honda

5. “Profound belief in something allows every individual to find an immense inner force, and to overcome his or her failings.” – Soichiro Honda

6. “(Studying at university and running a business at the same time) I was like a hungry man who had to listen to long explanations of dietary laws and their effects instead of being given something to eat.” – Soichiro Honda

7. “You don’t measure a man’s greatness by his physical size, but by his acts, by the impact he makes on human history.” – Soichiro Honda

8. “I would have to put in the necessary time, but nothing could stop me from succeeding.” – Soichiro Honda

9. “I forced myself to be enthusiastic.” – Soichiro Honda

10th Soichiro Honda Quote – “I enjoy working, and it isn’t because I’m president that I would deprive myself of that pleasure!” – Soichiro Honda

11. “Real happiness lies in the completion of work using your own brains and skills.” – Soichiro Honda

12. “There are… qualities which… lead to success. Courage, perseverance, the ability to dream and to persevere.” – Soichiro Honda

13. “I let no one disturb my concentration… Even hunger could not disturb me.” – Soichiro Honda

14. “A diploma is by no means a sure ticket to life.” – Soichiro Honda

15. “I don’t give a damn for the diploma. What I want is the knowledge.” – Soichiro Honda

16. “When you fail, you also learn how not to fail.” – Soichiro Honda

17. “[On Napoleon] I imagined him to have a physique as imposing and strong as his reputation merited. When I discovered from reading history books that he was a small man, I was not at all disillusioned. I’m not very big myself, and it was obvious that you don’t measure a man’s greatness by his physical size, but by his acts, by the impact he makes on human history. I also learned that Napoleon was of humble origin, that probably his family was very poor. So it wasn’t necessary to be born a nobleman or rich to succeed in life. There are other qualities which also lead to success. Courage, perseverance, the ability to dream and to persevere.” – Soichiro Honda

18. “I will become the Napoleon of mechanics!” – Soichiro Honda

19. “I too, one day, would be like Napoleon, small and famous.” – Soichiro Honda

20. “Racing improves the breed.” – Soichiro Honda

21. “A lot of my friends top me I’d be better off staying in my garage, growing little by little, letting my business prosper in this way rather than undertaking risky adventures. I had invested all my savings into this operation. I felt responsible to those with whom I’d gotten involved, and I said to myself that by closing my garage at the age of 30, I had perhaps missed my chance and sunk my own ship.” – Soichiro Honda

22. “When I take stock of life, I realize how important the personal contact is, how much more they are worth than the invention of machines, because [people] allow us to expand our view of things, and open up thousands of experiences which we would otherwise be unable to understand.” – Soichiro Honda

23. “I don’t regret the thousands of times I came home empty-handed, having lost all my ammunition and bait. When the days get as gloomy as that, then you know you will soon find the treasure…” – Soichiro Honda

24th Soichiro Honda Quote – “Hope, makes you forget all the difficult hours.” – Soichiro Honda

25. “In the lab, 99 percent of the people are working on lost causes. The modest percentage of success, nevertheless, serves to compensate for all the rest of the effort.” – Soichiro Honda

26. “The laboratory of a factory is the best place to learn about failure!” – Soichiro Honda

27. “Success can be achieved only through repeated failure and introspection. In fact, success represents 1 percent of your work which results only from the 99 percent that is called failure. Many people dream of success. To me success can be achieved only through repeated failure and introspection. In fact, success represents 1 percent of your work which results only from the 99 percent that is called failure.
Success can be achieved only through repeated failure and introspection.” – Soichiro Honda

28. “A company is most clearly defined not by its people or its history, but by it’s products.” – Soichiro Honda

29. I’d sooner die than imitate other people… That’s why we had to work so hard! Because we didn’t imitate.” – Soichiro Honda

30. “Success is 99% failure.” – Soichiro Honda

31. “If you hire only people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are. Always remember that you often find outstanding people among those you don’t particularly like.” – Soichiro Honda

32. “You direct a garage or a business like you drive a bus. It does its round, stopping to pick people up, but it can’t make a long distance trip. Of course you can be happy driving the same route all your life. But I wanted to drive bigger and faster buses, and see other places.” – Soichiro Honda

33. “If I’d had to manage my company myself, I would have very quickly gone bankrupt.” – Soichiro Honda

34. “Why should a man… spend his days seated behind a desk, twiddling his thumbs to pass the time?” – Soichiro Honda

35. “I got myself completely absorbed in my job as apprentice inventor. I let no one disturb my concentration, not even my friends with whom I enjoyed spending time and doing a thousand things. ‘Time for supper!’ My mother had to force me to come to the table, since my mind was elsewhere, my ears blocked. ‘I’m coming!’ I would answer politely, and then get back to work. So she ended up by respecting my work and letting me finish what I had to do. Even hunger could not disturb me.” – Soichiro Honda

36. “The moment had come to start working on realizing another dream. Trying to win Formula 1 was for many trying to accomplish the impossible. But my decision was made, once and for all. I would have to put in the necessary time, but nothing could stop me from succeeding.” – Soichiro Honda

37. “I finally became an independent man, a real man, master of his legs, head, destiny, of his timetable and the risks he knew he should take.” – Soichiro Honda

38. “A diploma is less useful than a ticket to a movie.” – Soichiro Honda

39. “My biggest thrill is when I plan something and it fails. My mind is then filled with ideas on how I can improve it.” – Soichiro Honda

40. “There is a Japanese proverb that literally goes ‘Raise the sail with your stronger hand’, meaning you must go after the opportunities that arise in life that you are best equipped to do.” – Soichiro Honda

What’s your favorite Soichiro Honda Quote? Share your favorite quote in the comment section below.