100 Top & Most Popular Peter Drucker Quotes

1. “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
2. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
3. “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.”
4. “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”
5. “Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.”
6. “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.”
7. “Management by objectives works if you first think through your objectives. Ninety percent of the time you haven’t.”
8. “The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different.”
9. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
10. “The most productive tool for generating good ideas remains a circle of humans at a table, talking shop.”
11. “The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.”
12. “The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.”
13. “The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills.”
14. “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
15. “Long-range planning does not deal with future decisions, but with the future of present decisions.”
16. “The successful person places more attention on doing the right thing rather than doing things right.”
17. “The most important thing in life is not to capitalize on your gains. Any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your losses. That requires intelligence, and makes the difference between a man of sense and a fool.”
18. “People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.”
19. “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”
20. “The best and most efficient pharmacy is within your own system.”
21. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
22. “Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it.”
23. “The most important thing in life is not to capitalize on your gains. Any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your losses. That requires intelligence, and makes the difference between a man of sense and a fool.”
24. “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.”
25. “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”
26. “The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different.”
27. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
28. “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
29. “The most productive tool for generating good ideas remains a circle of humans at a table, talking shop.”
30. “People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.”
31. “The successful person places more attention on doing the right thing rather than doing things right.”
32. “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.”
33. “Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.”
34. “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.”

35. “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
36. “The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.”
37. “The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.”
38. “The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills.”
39. “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
40. “Long-range planning does not deal with future decisions, but with the future of present decisions.”
41. “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”
42. “The best and most efficient pharmacy is within your own system.”
43. “Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it.”
44. “People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.”
45. “The most important thing in life is not to capitalize on your gains. Any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your losses. That requires intelligence, and makes the difference between a man of sense and a fool.”
46. “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.”
47. “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”
48. “The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different.”
49. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
50. “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
51. “The most productive tool for generating good ideas remains a circle of humans at a table, talking shop.”
52. “People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.”
53. “The successful person places more attention on doing the right thing rather than doing things right.”
54. “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.”
55. “Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.”
56. “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.”
57. “Results are obtained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems.”
58. “So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.”
59. “Meetings are a symptom of bad organization. The fewer meetings the better.”
60. “The only way to predict your future is to create it.”
61. “Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed.”
62. “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
63. “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.”
64. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
65. “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
66. “Management by objectives works if you first think through your objectives. Ninety percent of the time you haven’t.”
67. “The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.”
68. “The most productive tool for generating good ideas remains a circle of humans at a table, talking shop.”
69. “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”
70. “The best and most efficient pharmacy is within your own system.”
71. “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”

72. “Leadership is not magnetic personality, that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not ‘making friends and influencing people,’ that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.”
73. “The most important thing in life is not to capitalize on your gains. Any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your losses. That requires intelligence, and makes the difference between a man of sense and a fool.”
74. “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes.”
75. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
76. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
77. “In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.”
78. “The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong question.”
79. “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.”
80. “The computer is incredibly fast, accurate and stupid. Man is unbelievably slow, inaccurate and brilliant. The marriage of the two is a force beyond calculation.”
81. “Don’t tell me what you believe in. I’ll observe how you behave and make my own determination.”
82. “The purpose of education is to enable us to develop to the fullest that which is inside us.”
83. “We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.”
84. “What gets measured gets improved.”
85. “The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.”
86. “A person can perform only from strength. One cannot build performance on weaknesses, let alone on something one cannot do at all.”
87. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
88. “The only true measure of success is the ratio between what we might have done and what we might have been on the one hand, and the thing we have made and the things we have made of ourselves on the other.”
89. “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
90. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
91. “So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.”
92. “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.”
93. “Meetings are a symptom of bad organization. The fewer meetings the better.”
94. “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”
95. “The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.”
96. “The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills.”
97. “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
98. “Long-range planning does not deal with future decisions, but with the future of present decisions.”
99. “The best and most efficient pharmacy is within your own system.”

FAQs:

Who was Peter Drucker?

Peter Drucker was an Austrian-American management consultant, educator, and author who lived from 1909 to 2005. He is often referred to as the “father of modern management.”

What was Peter Drucker’s philosophy of management?

Peter Drucker believed that effective management requires a focus on results rather than activities, a clear understanding of the organization’s purpose and mission, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

What were some of Peter Drucker’s most famous works?

Some of Peter Drucker’s most famous works include “The Practice of Management,” “Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” and “Managing for Results.”

Was Peter Drucker associated with any particular schools of thought in management theory?

Peter Drucker was associated with several schools of thought in management theory, including the human relations movement, the systems approach to management, and the concept of management by objectives.

Did Peter Drucker work with any notable companies or organizations?

Yes, Peter Drucker worked with many notable companies and organizations during his career as a management consultant, including General Electric, IBM, and the United States government.

Was Peter Drucker involved in academia?

Yes, Peter Drucker was involved in academia throughout his career. He taught at several universities, including New York University and Claremont Graduate School, and wrote many books and articles on management theory and practice.

Did Peter Drucker receive any awards or honors during his career?

Yes, Peter Drucker received numerous awards and honors during his career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Japan Order of the Sacred Treasure.

What impact did Peter Drucker have on the field of management?

Peter Drucker had a significant impact on the field of management, particularly in the areas of strategic management, innovation, and entrepreneurship. His work continues to be influential today, and his ideas are widely taught in business schools around the world.

Did Peter Drucker have any advice for managers or leaders?

Yes, Peter Drucker had many pieces of advice for managers and leaders, including the importance of listening to customers, focusing on results rather than activities, and understanding the organization’s purpose and mission.

What is Peter Drucker’s legacy?

Peter Drucker’s legacy is one of innovation, entrepreneurship, and effective management. He was a pioneer in the field of management theory and practice, and his ideas continue to shape the way that businesses and organizations operate today.