James Cash Penney Quotes & Sayings

No company can afford not to move forward. It may be at the top of the heap today but at the bottom of the heap tomorrow, if it doesn't. — James Cash Penney

Success cannot come from standstill men. Methods change and men must change with them. — James Cash Penney

So I come back again to the condition that the Golden Rule, if one adopts it, is a difficult master to serve. The ship's captain will not throw the compass overboard because the wind blows fair and the day is funny. For he knows, from the experiences of the ocean's instability, that the danger days of storm are always "just ahead." So the compass must always be handy and obedience to it must always be loyal. And so with the Golden Rulle - the compass must be ever at hand through life's journey. It will see us through trying times. And perhaps the most trying of all times comes when success is riding high and we may be tempted to "throw the compass overboard." It is then we must remember that all good days in human life come from the mastery of the days of trouble that are forever recurrent. — James Cash Penney

The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison. — James Cash Penney

I had to pick myself up and get on with it, do it all over again, only even better this time. — James Cash Penney

Too many would-be executives are slaves of routine. — James Cash Penney

There has never been a time when a career in the Penney Company was not a challenge that brought out the best in a man. — James Cash Penney

Determine to do some thinking for yourself. Don't live entirely upon the thoughts of others. Don't be an automaton. — James Cash Penney

As a rule, we find what we look for; we achieve what we get ready for. — James Cash Penney

Honor bespeaks worth. Confidence begets trust. Service brings satisfaction. Cooperation proves the quality of leadership. — James Cash Penney

Every man must decide for himself whether he shall master his world or be mastered by it. — James Cash Penney

They serve best who give most of themselves. Self is forgotten by the one who serves, for such a one rejoices to see success coming to others through his or her efforts. — James Cash Penney

I will have no man work for me who has not the capacity to become a partner. — James Cash Penney

The best way to stop a bad habit is never to begin it. — James Cash Penney

Intelligence is the effort to do the best you can at your particular job; the quality that gives dignity to that job, whether it happens to be scrubbing a floor or running a corporation. — James Cash Penney

It was always my practice to train salespeople under my direct supervision, and to treat children with the utmost consideration. — James Cash Penney

I learned that all things come to those who wait-provided they hustle while they wait. — James Cash Penney

Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together. — James Cash Penney

Change is vital, improvement the logical form of change. — James Cash Penney

Luck is always the last refuge of laziness and incompetence. — James Cash Penney

The thought in my mind was that I must be a good merchant. If I were a good merchant, the rest would probably take care of itself. — James Cash Penney

Salesmanship, too, is an art; the perfection of its technique requires study and practice. — James Cash Penney

No business can succeed in any great degree without being properly organized. — James Cash Penney

I believe a man is better anchored who has a belief in the Supreme Being. — James Cash Penney

Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement. — James Cash Penney

In retailing, the formula happens to be a basic liking for human beings, plus integrity, plus industry, plus the ability to see the other fellow's point of view. — James Cash Penney

Salesmanship is limitless. Our very living is selling. We are all salespeople. — James Cash Penney

I believe in trusting men, not only once but twice - in giving a failure another chance. — James Cash Penney

Success will always be measured by the extent to which we serve the buying public. — James Cash Penney

We can serve our customers well only if our buying jobs are right. You cannot sell if you haven't ordered wanted goods into your store. — James Cash Penney

The keystone of successful business is cooperation. Friction retards progress. — James Cash Penney

I am grateful for all of my problems. After each one was overcome, I became stronger and more able to meet those that were still to come. I grew in all my difficulties. — James Cash Penney

The best of merchandise will go back to the shelf unless handled by a conscientious, tactful salesman. — James Cash Penney

Success in business does not depend upon genius. Any young man of ordinary intelligence who is normally sound and not afraid to work should succeed in spite of obstacles and handicaps if he plays the game fairly and keeps everlastingly at it. — James Cash Penney

It is the service we are not obliged to give that people value most. — James Cash Penney

The art of effective listening is essential to clear communication, and clear communication is necessary to management success. — James Cash Penney

No serious-minded man should have time for the mediocre in any phase of his living. — James Cash Penney

The problem with the bronco is to get on and stay on. This is the problem with the Golden Rule-to understand and apply. — James Cash Penney

Do not primarily train men to work. Train them to serve willingly and intelligently. — James Cash Penney

I cannot remember a time when the Golden Rule was not my motto and precept, the torch that guided my footsteps. — James Cash Penney

I was long brought up to think that it was nothing short of a crime to miss a sale. — James Cash Penney

Theory is splendid but until put into practice, it is valueless. — James Cash Penney

I do not believe in excuses. I believe in hard work as the prime solvent of life's problems. — James Cash Penney

The greatest teacher I know is the job itself. — James Cash Penney

The men who have furnished me with my greatest inspiration have not been men of wealth, but men of deeds. — James Cash Penney

The disciplined are free. — James Cash Penney

Selling is our No. 1 job. Never get away from selling a lot of merchandise personally. The more you sell the more you learn. — James Cash Penney

Clock watchers never seem to be having a good time. — James Cash Penney

We get real results only in proportion to the real values we give. — James Cash Penney

Business is no longer a matter of profits alone. Profits must come through public confidence, and public confidence is given to any merchant in proportion to the service which he gives to the public. — James Cash Penney

My definition of an executive's job is brief and to the point. It is simply this: Getting things done through other people. — James Cash Penney

A store's best advertisement is the service its goods render, for upon such service rest the future, the good-will, of an organization. — James Cash Penney

It is always the start that requires the greatest effort. — James Cash Penney

The public is not greatly interested in saving a little money on a purchase at the expense of service. — James Cash Penney

In setting up a business under the name and meaning of the Golden Rule, I was publicly binding myself, in my business relations, to a principle which had been a real and intimate part of my family upbringing. Our idea was to make money and build business through serving the community with fair dealing and honest value. — James Cash Penney

No matter what his position or experience in life, there is in everyone more latent than developed ability; far more unused than used power. — James Cash Penney

Men are not great or small because of their material possessions. They are great or small because of what they are. — James Cash Penney

The five separate fingers are five independent units. Close them and the fist multiplies strength. This is organization. — James Cash Penney

No man can climb the ladder of success without first placing his foot on the bottom rung. — James Cash Penney

Responsibilities are given to him on whom trust rests. Responsibility is always a sign of trust. — James Cash Penney

A merchant who approaches business with the idea of serving the public well has nothing to fear from the competition. — James Cash Penney

Every great business is built on friendship. — James Cash Penney

How can we expect our children to know and experience the joy of giving unless we teach them that the greater pleasure in life lies in the art of giving rather than receiving. — James Cash Penney

The Golden Rule finds no limit of application in business. — James Cash Penney

There's no better friend to any merchant than a fair competitor. — James Cash Penney

The well-satisfied customer will bring the repeat sale that counts. — James Cash Penney

I never trust an executive who tends to pass the buck. Nor would I want to deal with him as a customer or a supplier. — James Cash Penney

There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else. — James Cash Penney