Elon Musk Quotes, Status, and Thoughts

The fuel cell is just a fundamentally inferior way of delivering electrical energy to an electric motor than batteries.

It's OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket.

There's a tremendous bias against taking risks. Everyone is trying to optimize their ass-covering.

I don't create companies for the sake of creating companies, but to get things done.

We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.

You should be innovating so fast that you're invalidating your prior patents.

The extension of life beyond Earth is the most important thing we can do as a species.

I do love email. Wherever possible I try to communicate asynchronously. I'm really good at email.

The key test for an acronym is to ask whether it helps or hurts communication.

Humans need to be a multiplanet species.

As a child I would just question things.

Patience is a virtue, and I'm learning patience. It's a tough lesson.

For my part, I will never give up, and I mean never.

You shouldn't do things differently just because they're different. They need to be... better.

Optimism, pessimism, f**k that; we're going to make it happen. As God is my bloody witness, I'm hell-bent on making it work.

I think that's the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.

My mentality is that of a samurai. I would rather commit seppuku than fail.

Most people can learn a lot more than they think they can. They sell themselves short without trying.

Life is too short for long-term grudges.

I could either watch it happen or be a part of it.

People should pursue what they're passionate about. That will make them happier than pretty much anything else.

Constantly seek criticism. A well thought out critique of what you're doing is as valuable as gold.

Some people don't like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.

For me it was never about money, but solving problems for the future of humanity.

Engineering is the closest thing to magic that exists in the world.

When you struggle with a problem, that's when you understand it.

Many things are improbable, only a few are impossible.

I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.

We knew it could be done. It was a question of how hard it would be and how long it would take us to sort it out.

Any product that needs a manual to work is broken.

Some people doesn’t like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.

If you need inspiration, don’t do it.

Self-driving cars are the natural extension of active safety and obviously something we should do.

I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you can do things better and question yourself.

It is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.

We’re running the most dangerous experiment in history right now, which is to see how much carbon dioxide the atmosphere… can handle before there is an environmental catastrophe.

If the rules are such that you can’t make progress, then you have to fight the rules.

You want to have a future where you’re expecting things to be better, not one where you’re expecting things to be worse.

I think life on earth must be about more than just solving problems. It’s got to be inspiring, even if it is vicarious.

I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.

I’m not trying to be anyone’s savior. I’m just trying to think about the future and not be sad.

You have to be pretty driven to make it happen. Otherwise, you will just make yourself miserable.

Constantly seek criticism. A well thought out critique of whatever you’re doing is as valuable as gold.

When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars people said: ‘Nah, what’s wrong with a horse?’ That was a huge bet he made, and it worked out.

I had so many people try to talk me out of starting a rocket company, it was crazy.

I think it would be great to be born on Earth and die on Mars. Just hopefully not at the point of impact.

There are some important differences between me and Tony Stark, like I have five kids, so I spend more time going to Disneyland than parties.

I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact.

Trying to build a company is like baking a cake, you have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion.

If you had to buy a new plane every time you flew somewhere, it would be incredibly expensive.

You get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of problems you solve.

I would just question things… It would infuriate my parents… That I wouldn’t just believe them when they said something ’cause I’d ask them why. And then I’d consider whether that response made sense given everything else I knew.

There’s a tremendous bias against taking risks. Everyone is trying to optimize their *ss-covering.

I’m a Silicon Valley guy. I just think people from Silicon Valley can do anything.

Patience is virtue, and I’m learning patience. It’s a tough lesson.

You should take the approach that you’re wrong. Your goal is to be less wrong.

If something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor

Over time I think we will probably see a closer merger of biological intelligence and digital intelligence.

My proceeds from the PayPal acquisition were $180 million. I put $100 million in SpaceX, $70m in Tesla, and $10m in Solar City. I had to borrow money for rent.

Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time. Sometimes it will be ahead, other times it will be behind. But brand is simply a collective impression some have about a product.

I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary

When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.

What makes innovative thinking happen?… I think it’s really a mindset. You have to decide.

A company is a group organized to create a product or service, and it is only as good as its people and how excited they are about creating. I do want to recognize a ton of super-talented people. I just happen to be the face of the companies.

I’ve actually not read any books on time management.

It’s OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket.

When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars, people said, ‘Nah, what’s wrong with a horse?’ That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.

The first step is to establish that something is possible; then probability will occur.

My biggest mistake is probably weighing too much on someone’s talent and not someone’s personality. I think it matters whether someone has a good heart.

I wouldn’t say I have a lack of fear. In fact, I’d like my fear emotion to be less because it’s very distracting and fries my nervous system.

I say something, and then it usually happens. Maybe not on schedule, but it usually happens.

If something has to be designed and invented, and you have to figure out how to ensure that the value of the thing you create is greater than the cost of the inputs, then that is probably my core skill.

If you get up in the morning and think the future is going to be better, it is a bright day. Otherwise, it’s not.

I think the best way to attract venture capital is to try and come up with a demonstration of whatever product or service it is and ideally take that as far as you can. Just see if you can sell that to real customers and start generating some momentum. The further along you can get with that, the more likely you are to get funding.

“I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.

I don’t spend my time pontificating about high-concept things; I spend my time solving engineering and manufacturing problems.

Some people don’t like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.

People should pursue what they’re passionate about. That will make them happier than pretty much anything else.

As much as possible, avoid hiring MBAs. MBA programs don’t teach people how to create companies.

People work better when they know what the goal is and why. It is important that people look forward to coming to work in the morning and enjoy working.

It’s very important to like the people you work with, otherwise life [and] your job is gonna be quite miserable.

When somebody has a breakthrough innovation, it is rarely one little thing. Very rarely, is it one little thing. It’s usually a whole bunch of things that collectively amount to a huge innovation.

Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up.

I don’t create companies for the sake of creating companies, but to get things done.

If you’re trying to create a company, it’s like baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion.

I always have optimism, but I’m realistic. It was not with the expectation of great success that I started Tesla or SpaceX… It’s just that I thought they were important enough to do anyway.

It is a mistake to hire huge numbers of people to get a complicated job done. Numbers will never compensate for talent in getting the right answer (two people who don’t know something are no better than one), will tend to slow down progress, and will make the task incredibly expensive.

You have to say, ‘Well, why did it succeed where others did not?

Starting and growing a business is as much about the innovation, drive, and determination of the people behind it as the product they sell.

There’s a tremendous bias against taking risks. Everyone is trying to optimize their ass-covering.

I think we have a duty to maintain the light of consciousness to make sure it continues into the future.

I always invest my own money in the companies that I create. I don’t believe in the whole thing of just using other people’s money. I don’t think that’s right. I’m not going to ask other people to invest in something if I’m not prepared to do so myself.

Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.

Don’t delude yourself into thinking something’s working when it’s not, or you’re gonna get fixated on a bad solution.

Being an entrepreneur is like eating glass and staring into the abyss of death.

If you’re co-founder or CEO, you have to do all kinds of tasks you might not want to do… If you don’t do your chores, the company won’t succeed… No task is too menial.

Really pay attention to negative feedback and solicit it, particularly from friends. … Hardly anyone does that, and it’s incredibly helpful.

I don’t think it’s a good idea to plan to sell a company.

We have a strict ‘no-assholes policy’ at SpaceX.

Talent is extremely important. It’s like a sports team, the team that has the best individual player will often win, but then there’s a multiplier from how those players work together and the strategy they employ.

You shouldn’t do things differently just because they’re different. They need to be… better.