Quotes by James Penney

• As a rule, we find what we look for; we achieve what we get ready for.
• Change is vital, improvement the logical form of change.
• Clock watchers never seem to be having a good time.
• The disciplined are free.
• A merchant who approaches business with the idea of serving the public well has nothing to fear from the competition.
• A store's best advertisement is the service its goods render, for upon such service rest the future, the good-will, of an organization.
• The art of effective listening is essential to clear communication, and clear communication is necessary to management success.
• The best of merchandise will go back to the shelf unless handled by a conscientious, tactful salesman.
• The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.
• Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement.
• The greatest teacher I know is the job itself.
• The Golden Rule finds no limit of application in business.
• The men who have furnished me with my greatest inspiration have not been men of wealth, but men of deeds.
• The problem with the bronco is to get on and stay on. This is the problem with the Golden Rule-to understand and apply.
• 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.
• The well-satisfied customer will bring the repeat sale that counts.
• Theory is splendid but until put into practice, it is valueless.
• 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.
• There's no better friend to any merchant than a fair competitor.
• Too many would-be executives are slaves of routine.
• 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.
• We get real results only in proportion to the real values we give.
• The five separate fingers are five independent units. Close them and the fist multiplies strength. This is organization.
• No business can succeed in any great degree without being properly organized.
• The keystone of successful business is cooperation. Friction retards progress.
• Determine to do some thinking for yourself. Don't live entirely upon the thoughts of others. Don't be an automaton.
• Success cannot come from standstill men. Methods change and men must change with them.
• Selling is our No. 1 job. Never get away from selling a lot of merchandise personally. The more you sell the more you learn.
• Salesmanship, too, is an art; the perfection of its technique requires study and practice.
• Salesmanship is limitless. Our very living is selling. We are all salespeople.
• Responsibilities are given to him on whom trust rests. Responsibility is always a sign of trust.
• No serious-minded man should have time for the mediocre in any phase of his living.
• 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.
• My definition of an executive's job is brief and to the point. It is simply this: Getting things done through other people.
• Men are not great or small because of their material possessions. They are great or small because of what they are.
• Luck is always the last refuge of laziness and incompetence.
• It was always my practice to train salespeople under my direct supervision, and to treat children with the utmost consideration.
• It is the service we are not obliged to give that people value most.
• Success will always be measured by the extent to which we serve the buying public.
• Do not primarily train men to work. Train them to serve willingly and intelligently.
• Every man must decide for himself whether he shall master his world or be mastered by it.
• No matter what his position or experience in life, there is in everyone more latent than developed ability; far more unused than used power.
• Exchange ideas frequently.
• It is always the start that requires the greatest effort.
• Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.
• Honor bespeaks worth. Confidence begets trust. Service brings satisfaction. Cooperation proves the quality of leadership.
• I believe a man is better anchored who has a belief in the Supreme Being.
• 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.
• I was long brought up to think that it was nothing short of a crime to miss a sale.
• I believe in trusting men, not only once but twice - in giving a failure another chance.
• I do not believe in excuses. I believe in hard work as the prime solvent of life's problems.
• I cannot remember a time when the Golden Rule was not my motto and precept, the torch that guided my footsteps.