People and Culture quotes for CTOs

Insights on team building, emotional intelligence, leadership, hiring, and culture.

Emotional intelligence

They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Carl W. BuehnerWikipedia
Emotional intelligence

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

Ian MacLarenWikipedia
Authenticity

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.

Oscar WildeWikipedia
Hiring

A players hire A players. But B players hire C players, and C players hire D players. It doesn't take long to get to F players. This trickle-down effect causes bozo explosions in companies.

Steve JobsWikipedia
Hiring

It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.

Steve JobsWikipedia
Team

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

AristotleWikipedia
Team

If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.

African proverb
Performance

Everybody wants a gold medal, but few people want to train like an Olympian.

James ClearWikipedia
Learning

What I cannot create, I do not understand

Richard FeynmanWikipedia
Resilience

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

Franklin D. RooseveltWikipedia
Resilience

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

Mahatma GandhiWikipedia
Motivation

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

Wayne GretzkyWikipedia
Culture

Culture eats strategy for breakfast.

Peter DruckerWikipedia
Created: June 15, 2026Last modified: June 15, 2026