25 quotes from banking legend JP Morgan to inspire the visionary in you

Monday December 19, 2016 , 3 min Read

If there was ever a physical embodiment of the saying “A little vision goes a long way,” then it would probably be in the form of the legendary John Pierpont Morgan. John, or JP as he was more commonly known as, lived a successful journey in the banking industry that was a result of years of unyielding hard work, experimentation, and smart risk analysing. Despite all odds, he managed to revolutionise not only the global banking industry, but also ushered in a new, modern era of American business.

On his 179^th birthday, we remember the legacy of the late JP Morgan, on that will remain etched atop the history of business for centuries to follow. As a simple ode to this great visionary, here is a list of some his best quotes which are sure to light the fire within you.

“You can’t unscramble eggs.”
“You can’t pick cherries with your back to the trees.”
“When you expect things to happen – strangely enough – they do happen.”
“Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you'll be able to see farther.”
“A man generally has two reasons for doing a thing. One that sounds good, and a real one.”
“No problem can be solved until it is reduced to some simple form. The changing of a vague difficulty into a specific, concrete form is a very essential element in thinking.”
“The wise man bridges the gap by laying out the path by means of which he can get from where he is to where he wants to go.”
“Money equals business which equals power, all of which come from character and trust.”
“The first thing (in credit) is character… before money or anything else. Money cannot buy it.”
“A man I do not trust could not get money from me on all the bonds in Christendom. I think that is the fundamental basis of business.”
“If you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it.”
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
“Nothing so undermines your financial judgement as the sight of your neighbour getting rich.”
“No price is too great for a work of unquestioned beauty and known authenticity.”
“If you want time to pass quickly, just give a banker your note for 90 days.”
“I feel bound in honour when I reorganise a property and am morally responsible for its management, to protect it – and I generally do protect it.”
“Of all forms of tyranny the least attractive and the most vulgar is the tyranny of mere wealth, the tyranny of plutocracy.”
“Well, I don't know as I want a lawyer to tell me what I cannot do. I hire him to tell how to do what I want to do.”
“Millionaires don't use Astrology, billionaires do.”
“Remember, my son, that any man who is a bear on the future of this country will go broke.”
“My first guess is sometimes right. My second never is.”
“Giving debt relief to people that really need it, that's what foreclosure is.”
“When I have business on hand I think it is better to have it done quickly.”
“It was not really a question of price. It was a question of success.”
“When a man abuses his power, he loses it.”