Michael Dell's Quotes & Sayings

In taking Dell private, we plan to go back to our roots, focusing on the entrepreneurial spirit that made Dell one of the fastest-growing and most successful companies in history. — Michael Dell

People have often told us that what we wanted to do couldn't be done. Our success is due, in part, to not just an ability but a willingness to look at things differently. I believe opportunity is part instinct and part immersion - in an industry, a subject, or an area of expertise. Dell is proof that people can learn to recognize and take advantage of opportunities that others are convinced don't exist. — Michael Dell

Celebrate for a nanosecond. — Michael Dell

I've been fascinated with technology since I was a boy banging around on my father's adding machine. Back then I'd type in an equation, the device made some cool noises, and out came my answer. I was hooked. — Michael Dell

When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, Michael Dell had declared he had so little faith in an Apple recovery that if he were Jobs, he'd "shut Apple down and give the money back to the shareholders. — Fred Vogelstein

Each day that you're moving toward your dreams without compromising who you are, you're winning — Michael Dell

There are many different kinds of PCs. You have fixed, virtual, tablets, notebooks, ultrabooks, desktops, workstations. What you find in commercial PCs, business PCs, is that there's a really long tail of usage on client devices. — Michael Dell

You just have to change. To be successful, what you have to do is have an acceptance of risk and you have to be pretty explicit about that, because if you don't accept risk, you don't get any innovation. And that means part of risk is you have to accept failure because not everything works. — Michael Dell

It's easy to decide what you're going to do. The hard thing is deciding what you're not going to do. — Michael Dell

Today the world lost a visionary leader, the technology industry lost an iconic legend and I lost a friend and fellow founder. The legacy of Steve Jobs will be remembered for generations to come. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the Apple team. — Michael Dell

There are a lot of things that go into creating success. I don't like to do just the things I like to do. I like to do things that cause the company to succeed. I don't spend a lot of time doing my favorite activities. — Michael Dell

Americans are known for their strength, fortitude, and generosity in times of need. We encourage people in the U.S. and everywhere to give with their hearts, reach out to these victims, and donate what they can to the relief efforts. — Michael Dell

If you're the smartest person in the room ... find a different room. MICHAEL DELL — Anonymous

If we have 99% [market] share of Ford Company, the question to us is 'How do we improve the customer satisfaction in order to get that additional 1% share? — Michael Dell

I believe that you have to understand the economics of a business before you have a strategy, and you have to understand your strategy before you have a structure. If you get these in the wrong order, you will probably fail. — Michael Dell

From the time I was 7, when I purchased my first calculator, I was fascinated by the idea of a machine that could compute things. — Michael Dell

Visionaries have the unique ability to dream of what's possible and then make it a reality. We are excited to watch these visionaries use technology to help students develop skills in collaboration, critical thinking and teamwork that they'll need to compete in the global economy. — Michael Dell

Computing shows up in many different ways. You have computing that you wear, computing that you carry. What you think of as the traditional PC market has a long tail of usage, particularly in the commercial world, but also in consumer. — Michael Dell

The speed of the Internet provides a fundamentally different perspective on how business relationships occur ... The approach relies on collaboration, not on competition ... on sharing information, and understanding what we as businesses do best. — Michael Dell

It's through curiosity and looking at opportunities in new ways that we've always mapped our path at Dell. There's always an opportunity to make a difference. — Michael Dell

I have no doubt that in the future, wearable devices like Fitbit will know my blood pressure, hydration levels and blood sugar levels as well. All of this data has the potential to transform modern medicine and create a whole new era of personalized care. — Michael Dell

Every breakthrough business idea begins with solving a common problem. The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity. I discovered a big one when I took apart an IBM PC. I made two interesting discoveries: The components were all manufactured by other companies, and the system that retailed for $3,000 cost about $600 in parts. — Michael Dell

Try never to be the smartest person in the room. And if you are, I suggest you invite smarter people ... or find a different room. — Michael Dell

The idea of being all things to all people is a thing of the past. — Michael Dell

The world got enamored with smartphones and tablets, but what's interesting is those devices don't do everything that needs to be done. Three-D printing, virtual-reality computing, robotics are all controlled by PCs. — Michael Dell

Anything that can be measured can be improved — Michael Dell

We were always focused on our profit and loss statement. But cash flow was not a regularly discussed topic. It was as if we were driving along, watching only the speedometer, when in fact we were running out of gas. — Michael Dell

Dell's a company that has changed the IT landscape in making PCs and servers more affordable. There's enormous opportunities to make IT more accessible to tens of millions of companies, kind of democratizing the ability for companies to gain access to IT. — Michael Dell

Twenty years and $40 billion. They seem like good round numbers. — Michael Dell

We are all gifts to each other, and my own growth as a leader has shown me again and again that the most rewarding experiences come from my relationships. — Michael Dell

There is no better catalyst to success than curiosity. — Michael Dell

If you're happy, that's probably the most important thing. Everyone probably has their own definition of success, for me it's happiness. Do I enjoy what I'm doing? Do I enjoy the people I'm with? Do I enjoy my life? — Michael Dell

The interesting thing is when we design and architect a server, we don't design it for Windows or Linux, we design it for both. We don't really care, as long as we're selling the one the customer wants. — Michael Dell

With the understanding that you will face tough times and amazing experiences, you must also commit to the adventure. Just have faith in the skills and the knowledge you've been blessed with and go. — Michael Dell

Don't spend so much time trying to choose the perfect opportunity, that you miss the right opportunity. — Michael Dell

I started Dell 28 yrs ago with $1000. Revenues in 1984 were $6 million. Last year $62.1 billion. Impossible is nothing. — Michael Dell

Sometimes it's better not to ask-or to listen-when tell you something can't be done. I didn't ask for permission or approval. I just went ahead and did it. — Michael Dell

If you look at innovation, it doesn't just occur in the lab. — Michael Dell

It's exciting to see how fast your kids learn and grow. I'm not too worried about them, particularly the ones who like to break rules and don't follow instructions; those are the ones that will do just fine because they know what's important to them. — Michael Dell

The point is, you can't keep doing the same thing and expect it to keep working. — Michael Dell

Productivity is grounded in the PC. Where does the computing power come from? How would you run 'USA Today' without PCs? Run a hospital without PCs? People don't want products, they want solutions. — Michael Dell

Wearable devices are here to stay, and they'll only get more sophisticated and effective as they evolve. Until now, most of us have made our health and fitness decisions based on what we think we know about ourselves. Advancements in technology - wearables and otherwise - will eventually take much of the guess work out of healthy living. — Michael Dell

Microsoft's an important partner for Dell, an important company in the industry. — Michael Dell

You don't have to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream. — Michael Dell

One of the things I benefited from when I started this business was that I didn't know anything. I was just instinct with no preconceived notions. This enabled me to learn and change quickly without having to worry about maintaining any kind of status quo, like some of my bigger competitors. — Michael Dell

Whether you've found your calling, or if you're still searching, passion should be the fire that drives your life's work. — Michael Dell

If you don't have jobs, it's hard to have other things like health and education. — Michael Dell

Team, it turned out that Michael Dell wasn't perfect at predicting the future. Based on today's stock market close, Apple is worth more than Dell. Stocks go up and down and things may be different tomorrow but I thought it was worth a moment of reflection today. — Steve Jobs

We've found that customers are very open. They'll tell you what's going on, what's working and what's not. They're looking for help. — Michael Dell

There are a lot of new things going on in the microprocessor world, including increased focus on power and efficiency. — Michael Dell

Recognize that there will be failures, and acknowledge that there will be obstacles. But you will learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others, for there is very little learning in success. — Michael Dell

People ask me all the time, 'How can I become a successful entrepreneur?' And I have to be honest: It's one of my least favorite questions, because if you're waiting for someone else's advice to become an entrepreneur, chances are you're not one. — Michael Dell

Dell will participate in tablets and all sorts of client devices. Our main business is helping our customers secure, protect their data and access it from any device they want to. — Michael Dell

If you think about computing, there isn't just one way to compute, just like there's not just one way to move around. You can have shoes, you can have a car, you can have a bicycle, submarine, rocket, plane, train, glider, whatever. Because you have one doesn't mean you get rid of another one ... But PCs continue to be important. — Michael Dell

Ideas are commodity. Execution of them is not. — Michael Dell

I do think a founder has special permission to make sweeping changes across an organization. — Michael Dell

I started the business with a simple question: How can we make the process of buying a computer better? The answer was: Sell computers directly to the end customer. Eliminate the reseller's markup and pass those savings on to the customer. — Michael Dell

Ignore the people who tell you it won't work, and hire people who embrace your vision. — Michael Dell

If you have to go through life being unhappy to conform to society around you, that's not a very good deal. — Michael Dell

If you want to sustain excellence over a long time, you'd better come up with a system that works well. Anyone can sprint for a little while, but you can't sprint for forty years. — Michael Dell

Don't be afraid to fail. Get out there and experiment and learn and fail and get a rate based on the experiences you have. Go for it and when you go for it you'll learn what you're capable of, what the potential is, where the opportunities are, but you can't be afraid to fail because that's when you learn. — Michael Dell

The key to using the Internet to extend and build relationships is to view ownership of information differently-you need to bring customers inside your business to create information partnerships ... relationships become the differentiator, more than products or services. Businesses become intertwined. — Michael Dell

I had to give it a full go and see what happened. — Michael Dell

Real entrepreneurs have what I call the three Ps (and, trust me, none of them stands for 'permission'). Real entrepreneurs have a 'passion' for what they're doing, a 'problem' that needs to be solved, and a 'purpose' that drives them forward. — Michael Dell

By questioning all the aspects of our business, we continuously inject improvement and innovation into our culture. — Michael Dell

One of the things was to create a kind of amnesty environment. — Michael Dell

The very thing you fear could be the best thing to ever happen to you — Michael Dell

I'm a big believer in online communities and in user-generated content. — Michael Dell

I'm pretty active anyway, but I'm also competitive.I used my Fitbit as an example of the innate power of data to turn information into insights and actions. — Michael Dell

I always knew I wanted to run a business someday. — Michael Dell

Our business is about technology, yes. But it's also about operations and customer relationships. — Michael Dell

The customer reaction to Dell going private has been a lot more positive than I would have ever imagined. Customers see it as - 'You don't have to be distracted. Now you can totally focus on your business.' So they see it as a positive. — Michael Dell

Regrets are born of paths never taken. — Michael Dell

It had always made sense to me to build a business based on what people really wanted, rather than guess what we thought they might want. — Michael Dell