Paying tribute to his father in 2017, his son, Mukesh Ambani said, “It is because of him that Reliance has grown…from 1 employee to over 250,000 employees,…from initial investment of Rs 1,000 to a company of over Rs 6 lakh crores, and from operations in only one city to 28,000 cities and towns, and over four lakh villages…my father is a timeless legend. An Indian icon. An eternal inspiration to Indians from all generations.”
Dhirubhai Ambani's Billion Dollar Thoughts
(1) If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.
(2) For those who dare to dream, there is a whole world to win.
(3) You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks. Better we keep biscuits and move on.
(4) Often people think opportunity is a matter of luck. I believe opportunities are all around us. Some seize it. Others stand and let it pass by.
(5) Think big, think fast, think ahead. Ideas are no one’s monopoly.
(6) If you’re born poor it’s not your fault but if you die poor it’s your fault.
(7) Only when you dream it, you can do it.
(8) If you work with determination and with perfection, success will follow.
(9) We cannot change our rulers, but we can change the way they rule us.
(10) Meeting the deadlines is not good enough, beating the deadlines is my expectation.
(11) Pursue your goals even in the face of difficulties, and convert adversities into opportunities.
(12) You have to take the calculated risk, to earn something. True entrepreneurship comes only from risk-taking.
(13) Our dreams have to be bigger. Our ambitions higher. Our commitment deeper. And our efforts greater.
(14) Keep your morale high, in spite of setbacks. At the end you are bound to succeed.
(15) Money is not a product by itself, it is a by-product, so don’t chase it.
(16) Does making money excite me? No, but I have to make money for my shareholders. What excites me is achievement, doing something difficult.
(17) Secret of my success was to have ambition and know minds of men. One must have ambition and one must understand the minds … of men.
(18) My advice to young entrepreneurs is not to accept defeat in the face of odds, and challenge negative forces with hope, self-confidence and conviction. I believe that ambition and initiative will ultimately triumph.
(19) Between my past, the present and the future, there is one common factor: Relationship and Trust. This is the foundation of our growth.
(20) Give (your people) the youth a proper environment. Motivate them. Extend them the support they need. Each one of them has infinite source of energy. They will deliver.
(21) You do not require an invitation to make profits.
(22) I consider myself a pathfinder. I have been excavating the jungle and making the road for others to walk. I like to be the first in everything I do.
(23) A vision has to be within reach not in the air. It has to be achievable.
(24) Play on the frontiers of technology. Be ahead of the tomorrows.
(25) We bet on people. A motivated manpower is the most important thing.
(26) I am deaf to the word ‘NO’.
(27) Till my last breath I will work. To retire there is only one place-the cremation ground.
(28) Don’t give up, courage is my conviction.
(29) My commitment is to produce at the cheapest price and the best quality. We must always go for the best. Do not compromise on quality. Reject if it is not the best – not only the best in India, but globally.
(30) Yes, I believe in God, but I don’t perform a daily puja. I don’t have any gurus. I live the Gita.
(31) The problem with Indians is that we have lost the habit of thinking big!
(32) I sincerely believe that Indians have the ability to compete with the best in the world. I dream of India becoming a great economic superpower.
(33) The success of the young entrepreneur will be the key to Indians transformation in the new millennium.
(34) There is no question about that. Business is my hobby. It is not a burden to me. In any case Reliance now can run without me.
(35) The most important external environment is the government of India. You have to sell your ideas to the government. Selling the idea is the most important thing, and for that I’ll meet anybody in the government. I am willing to salaam anyone. One thing you won’t find in me and that is an ego.
(36) Tax is for the poor or the stupid people.
(37) You accuse me of black marketing, but which of you has not slept with me?
(38) I had dreams of starting a company like Burmah Shell.
