Les Wexner Quotations

A woman at the Limited once asked me, 'Why do you work?' She said, 'You made a lot of money as a young man, so why are you still working?' I had never thought about it before. Forced to consider it, I told her, 'You know why? Because I think that if you stop to smell the roses, you'll get hit by a truck.

Growing up, I knew you were supposed to have a profession - and something better than being a shopkeeper, which is what my parents were.

Sometimes I wish I lived more in the day, but I'm happier thinking about tomorrow or the day after. The way I see it, there's always a new or next thing.

I don't think most analysts understand that whether I work a 70-hour week or an 80-hour week, I take my head with me when I go home.

Entrepreneurs, guys that start businesses, grow with them. It's more painful than it would appear.

In the '70s and '80s, the mentality of America was that everything was disposable. The notion of quality wasn't important.

If you keep your nose to the grindstone, you don’t have any nose,

There is always hopefully a next.

If you start painting yourself into a corner, life starts shutting down. There is always hopefully a next.

I am really proud of the development of the people on my team as they grow in purpose; they like what they see in the mirror.

As an entrepreneur, you work out solutions.

You’re not going to be a 1.000 hitter all the time. You’re going to be more wrong than right. You just have to correct your errors as quickly, as economically, as possible.

Nobody remembers who was the richest toga salesman in Rome.

What makes you tick? Why do you care about the things you care about?

Society can't wait. It's sad there are so many entrepreneurs, business successes and venture capitalists who give no thought to society.

Ask yourself: What forms the decisions you make? What is it that gnaws at you? What are your crucible moments?

Everything has a lifecycle. You have to believe it’s going to change.