Karren Brady Quotes

"The most important characteristics you need to succeed in business are resilience, determination and persistence."

"The world is divided into three types of people in business: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened."

"You don't really do much in life unless you take risks, push yourself and find your passion."

"The biggest lesson my kids have taught me is to find the joy in little things, along with a healthy dose of patience."

"I'm the sort of person who doesn't hear the word 'no' - I hear 'find another way to get what you want.'"

"The only thing I wanted when I left school was independence. I had been at boarding school for many years. When you're boarding, nothing is your own and your whole day is scheduled. You're told when to sleep, what to eat and when. You have zero independence."

"English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish football gains so much from being in Europe. Clubs and fans all benefit from European action, laws and funding."

"The one thing I wanted was independence. And I realised to have that independence, you needed financial independence."

"I've experienced a lot of sexism in football."

"I can never fully switch off given my work, but laying on the beach replying to a few emails on my mobile is much better than being stuck in the office."

"Good managers ensure good outcomes, but great leaders can deliver a vision by getting people to work together."

"My grandmother had a motto that you should never look down on people unless you are helping them up, and I think that's a very spiritual way of living."

"If I can encourage other women to think about setting up their own businesses and being entrepreneurs and making a contribution then I think that's a good thing."

"On 'The Apprentice,' I'm 100 per cent certain I'm paid the same as Claude Littner. I insisted on equality when I negotiated my contract. I would not have allowed anything else."

"I'm proud to say that, leading by example, I've tried from day one to help recalibrate views of women in the world of football."

"I don't invest in shares in companies that don't have women on their board."

"Life is very short, and if you worry what people think of you, if you second-guess yourself, you're in trouble."

"I hate fad diets."

"I rarely indulge in sweet things but when I do I do not like to share."

"I have met people in the street who say, 'You look like Karren Brady, but she is fat.' But I don't care. I am happy with the way I look; it's not something that drives me mad."

"I want people to think about what I have achieved and not what I look like."

"I did indeed put on weight after I got married."

"I didn't really know what I was going to do with my life. I've taken every opportunity, pushed myself in ways I'm not sure I knew were even possible, I've made the best of my life and career. So yes, I do feel proud of myself."

"The toughest thing about being a success is you've got to keep on being a success."

"To any man currently thinking it's not safe to say anything to women these days, allow me to offer you a rule of thumb. If you're in any doubt about something you're going to say to a woman, just ask yourself if you'd say the same thing to a man."

"Let's face it, when is it actually ever funny to joke about hitting someone? Never, right? The threat to give someone a slap, no matter how you look at it, is aggressive."

"Too many women don't see themselves in senior leadership and so don't push themselves to advance their careers as their male peer group do."

"It's depressing that ambition and feminism have become almost dirty words for working women. But, there is no reason that they should be and, increasingly, I am struck by how the next generation is challenging conceptions of what it means to be successful at work."

"Any board executive can forget just how many people helped them get where they are. Those women who have got to the top need actively to ensure there is a pipeline of younger women, whether by networking or mentoring, who in turn are encouraging those below them."

"It is critical to create opportunities to identify talented women in business, then support them to develop their confidence to aim for the boardroom."