Downturns are the best time to start businesses because you develop discipline that's very lean and mean in terms of how to spend money. And those habits serve you very well in good times. Show less «

Money tears families apart for lack of, and for too much. It's a very powerful force and you have to understand it and respect it. Show less «

The biggest mistake entrepreneurs can make is trying to do everything themselves. They usually blow up when they try. I did an inventory of every deal I've ever done and it turned out that every single deal I made money on was a partnership, and every colossal failure, where I lost millions, was something I tried to do by myself. Show less «

An employee is a cost center. Everybody is replaceable. Somebody above you is trying to get rid of you to save costs. You have to understand what you are and make sure that you're always adding value, so that you're the last person to be whacked. Show less «

[Dragons' Den (2006) Season 3, Dec. 25th 2008] You know, people say I'm the mean one but it's so unfair a characterization. The truth is I'm Mr. Wonderful and here's why: I'm pre-programmed to only speak the truth. I can't lie to anybody. It's impossible for me to tell them something that is erroneous. And so being forced this way from birth to only tell the truth makes my answers honest and pure. I'm the white light versus the dark and sinister way of trying to keep people encouraged without giving them money, which I find my other Dragons often do. There's nothing more sinister and dark than encouraging a really stupid idea. Show less «

I'm not trying to make friends, I'm trying to make money.

I actually think being an entrepreneur is a state of mind. If you're going to be an entrepreneur, my thesis is that you have to sacrifice everything for some period in your life to be successful. You have to be myopic and completely focused and unbalanced in every way. Once you've achieved success, you're free to do whatever you like. Show less «

[on Steve Jobs] He was so abusive! Toughest guy I ever met. We were in the boardroom at Apple and he went into a diatribe like I had never heard before. Show less «

[observation, 2016] Nobody is going to outkumbaya Trudeau; nobody is going to do more sit-ups; nobody is going to punch more punching-bags; and nobody is going to do more selfies. But where he is going to fail is in the math. The math isn't going to work. You can't spend $100 billion efficiently. It's impossible. No government ever has. Show less «

One of the things I've learned is that women can be very astute investors because they're far less emotional about money. They're far more pragmatic. Show less «