J. Irwin Miller Quotes
Born: May 26, 1909
J. Irwin Miller was a visionary industrialist and philanthropist who reshaped American innovation through his leadership of Cummins Engine Company. Believing that business could be a force for social good, he championed design excellence, community investment, and ethical progress long before sustainability became a corporate buzzword. His philosophy—that technology must serve humanity, not merely profit—makes his words timeless for today’s innovators. Miller’s quotes resonate because they challenge leaders to blend ambition with integrity, urging them to build companies that are both profitable and purposeful. His legacy endures as a masterclass in how visionary thinking can transform industries and lives.
J. Irwin Miller Quotes (8)
"The calling of the humanities is to make us truly human in the best sense of the word."
— J. Irwin Miller"The most important service to others is service to those who are not like yourself."
— J. Irwin Miller"Television preachers extract money from the poor to live in a style and to indulge in shameful acts which equal or outdo the worst of the Renaissance Popes."
— J. Irwin Miller"I think most of us sense that it is a responsibility of the humanities to try to help better the conduct of human beings in their lives and manifold professional activities."
— J. Irwin Miller"I would be a poorer person if the only things I knew were what I had found out for myself."
— J. Irwin Miller"We are afraid to face the hard questions. We are willing to tackle drugs, crime, and public education only if it doesn't cost us any new taxes."
— J. Irwin Miller"The decline of manners, the cynical pursuit without shame or restraint of personal advantage and of money characterizes our times, not without exceptions, of course, but more than we ought to be comfortable with."
— J. Irwin Miller"Business chief executive officers and their boards succumb to the pressures of the financial markets and their fears of takeovers and pour out their energies to produce quarterly earnings - at the expense of building their companies for the long term."
— J. Irwin Miller