J. Paul Getty Quotes
Born: December 15, 1892
J. Paul Getty, once the richest man in the world, built his empire not on luck, but on relentless action and an unyielding belief in the power of the individual. Rising from modest beginnings to control a vast oil fortune, Getty’s philosophy was rooted in pragmatism: he saw opportunity where others saw obstacles and insisted that success is a product of discipline, not desire. His quotes cut through romanticism, urging readers to rise early, work harder, and seize the moment. They resonate because they strip motivation down to its rawest form—a call to move, to act, and to own one’s destiny.
J. Paul Getty Quotes (58)
"If you owe the bank $100 that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that's the bank's problem."
— J. Paul Getty"Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil."
— J. Paul Getty"The meek shall inherit the Earth, but not its mineral rights."
— J. Paul Getty"If you can actually count your money, then you're not a rich man."
— J. Paul Getty"In times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy."
— J. Paul Getty"Five wives can't all be wrong."
— J. Paul Getty"I hate to be a failure. I hate and regret the failure of my marriages. I would gladly give all my millions for just one lasting marital success."
— J. Paul Getty"I buy when other people are selling."
— J. Paul Getty"Money is like manure. You have to spread it around or it smells."
— J. Paul Getty"Without the element of uncertainty, the bringing off of even, the greatest business triumph would be dull, routine, and eminently unsatisfying."
— J. Paul Getty"During the 1950s, Aristotle Onassis and I formed what grew to be a close friendship and association in several business ventures."
— J. Paul Getty"The beauty one can find in art is one of the pitifully few real and lasting products of human endeavor."
— J. Paul Getty"There are heads of royal families who control hereditary fortunes that defy comprehension."
— J. Paul Getty"No one can possibly achieve any real and lasting success or 'get rich' in business by being a conformist."
— J. Paul Getty"You cannot further the Brotherhood of Man by encouraging class hatred."
— J. Paul Getty"There are one hundred men seeking security to one able man who is willing to risk his fortune."
— J. Paul Getty"Governments, of course, can - and do - soak the rich."
— J. Paul Getty"I am neither a homosexual nor a eunuch, nor have I ever taken any vows of chastity."
— J. Paul Getty"I was 37 when my father died-and I no longer had any freedom of choice over what I would do with the rest of my life."
— J. Paul Getty"If you can count your money, you don't have a billion dollars."
— J. Paul Getty"Going to work for a large company is like getting on a train. Are you going sixty miles an hour or is the train going sixty miles an hour and you're just sitting still?"
— J. Paul Getty"How does one measure the success of a museum?"
— J. Paul Getty"I have never been given to envy - save for the envy I feel toward those people who have the ability to make a marriage work and endure happily."
— J. Paul Getty"Books, like proverbs, receive their chief value from the stamp and esteem of the ages through which they have passed."
— J. Paul Getty"My formula for success is rise early, work late, and strike oil."
— J. Paul Getty"My yachts were, I suppose, outstanding status symbols."
— J. Paul Getty"To succeed in business, to reach the top, an individual must know all it is possible to know about that business."
— J. Paul Getty"The Roaring Twenties were the period of that Great American Prosperity which was built on shaky foundations."
— J. Paul Getty"A hatred of failure has always been part of my nature."
— J. Paul Getty"A marriage contract to me is as binding as any in business, and I have always believed in sticking to an agreement."
— J. Paul Getty