80 Elon Musk Quotes (On Success, Education, Humanity)

By Maxime Lagacé

Maxime is the founder of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm and peaceful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.

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elon musk quotes wisdom

Here are 80 of the best Elon Musk quotes.

You’ll love them.

You’ll learn:

  • How to learn faster
  • How to be more successful
  • How to find purpose in your life
  • And more

But who’s Elon Musk (1971-)?

  • A serial entrepreneur (Founder and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, the Boring Company, and many more)
  • A visionary (Wants to colonize Mars, develops AI and electric vehicles)
  • A philanthropist (Including climate change research, healthcare, and education)

So, I guarantee you’ll be amazed by his quotes.

Elon Musk is not only a humanitarian, but also one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our generation.

You can learn a ton from him.

And apply it to your own life.

Enjoy!

Top 10 Elon Musk Quotes

elon musk quotes fear parody criticism weakness wisdom

To fear parody or criticism is a sign of weakness. Elon Musk

It’s a real weakness to want to be liked. Elon Musk (Source)

Really, the only thing that makes sense is to strive for greater collective enlightenment. Elon Musk

I’d rather be optimistic and wrong than pessimistic and right. Elon Musk

We are microbes on a dust mote in a vast emptiness overwhelmingly dominated by the sun. Elon Musk

elon musk quotes could either watch part wisdom

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

Failure is irrelevant unless it is catastrophic. Elon Musk

No matter how hard you work, someone else is working harder. Elon Musk

The duty of a leader is to serve their people, not for the people to serve them. Elon Musk

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

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Short Elon Musk Quotes

elon musk quotes life too short grudges wisdom

Life is too short for long-term grudges. Elon Musk

Try to be useful. Elon Musk (Source)

Are you contributing more than you consume? Elon Musk

I have no problem being hated. Elon Musk

We want to look to the future rather than the past. Elon Musk

Any product that needs a manual to work is broken. Elon Musk

I don’t start fights but I’ll finish them. Elon Musk

It is not the degree but the skill that achieves success. Elon Musk

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

Nothing more precious than old friends. Elon Musk

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Elon Musk Quotes About Education, Learning

elon musk quotes was raided books parents wisdom

I was raised by books. Books, and then my parents. Elon Musk

Science is discovering the essential truths about what exists in the Universe, engineering is about creating things that never existed. Elon Musk

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. Elon Musk

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

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

Pay attention to negative feedback and solicit it, particularly from friends. Hardly anyone does that, and it’s incredibly helpful. Elon Musk

Generally, you want education to be as close to a video game as possible, like a good video game. You do not need to tell your kid to play video games. They will play video games on autopilot all day. Elon Musk

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

Everything is available basically for free. You can learn anything you want for free. Elon Musk

elon musk quotes college wanted world wisdom

When I was in college, I wanted to be involved in things that would change the world. Elon Musk

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Elon Musk Quotes About Humanity, Environment

elon musk quotes human civilization tiny startup wisdom

Human civilization is still a tiny startup in the grand scheme of things. Elon Musk (Source)

Man has the power to act as his own destroyer – and that is the way he has acted through most of his history. Elon Musk

We are the first species capable of self-annihilation. Elon Musk

It is important in this often difficult and troubled world for there to be things that also inspire and make you feel great to be part of humanity. Elon Musk

Even if producing CO2 was good for the environment, given that we’re going to run out of hydrocarbons, we need to find some sustainable means of operating. Elon Musk

I’m anti-tax, but I’m pro-carbon tax. Elon Musk

elon musk quotes children choose born wisdom

My children didn’t choose to be born, I chose to have children. They owe me nothing, I owe them everything. Elon Musk

Civilization is careening towards dystopia/utopia. Elon Musk (Source)

I acquired Twitter to try to help humanity. I didn’t do it to make more money. Elon Musk

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. Elon Musk

Timely truth is immensely important for the collective consciousness to function well. Elon Musk

This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead. Elon Musk

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

Elon Musk Quotes About Success, Work, Business

elon musk quotes get paid direct proportion wisdom

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

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

No, I don’t ever give up. I’d have to be dead or completely incapacitated. Elon Musk

The idea of lying on a beach as my main thing just sounds like the worst. It sounds horrible to me. I would go bonkers. I would have to be on serious drugs. I’d be super-duper bored. I like high intensity. Elon Musk

One of my core responsibilities in running companies to have an environment where great engineers can flourish. Elon Musk (Source)

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. Elon Musk

Every person in your company is a vector. Your progress is determined by the sum of all vectors. Elon Musk

elon musk quotes live successful life wisdom

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

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

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

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. Elon Musk

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

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

It’s very important to like the people you work with. Otherwise, your job is going to be quite miserable. Elon Musk

elon musk quotes create companies things done wisdom

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

I usually describe myself as an engineer; that’s basically what I’ve been doing since I was a kid. Elon Musk

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. Elon Musk

Starting a business is not for everyone. Starting a business – I’d say, number one is have a high pain threshold. Elon Musk

I tend to approach things from a physics framework. And physics teaches you to reason from first principles rather than by analogy. Elon Musk

If you need inspiration, don’t do it. Elon Musk

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Elon Musk Quotes About Mars

elon musk quotes humanity does not land mars wisdom

If humanity doesn’t land on Mars in my lifetime, I would be very disappointed. Elon Musk

The first journey to Mars is going to be really very dangerous. The risk of fatality will be high. There’s just no way around it. Elon Musk

You need to live in a dome initially, but over time you could terraform Mars to look like Earth and eventually walk around outside without anything on… So it’s a fixer-upper of a planet. Elon Musk

If we’re going to have any chance of sending stuff to other star systems, we need to be laser-focused on becoming a multi-planet civilisation. Elon Musk

Mars is the only place in the solar system where it’s possible for life to become multi-planetarian. Elon Musk

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

Elon Musk Quotes About Technology, Space, Tesla, Social Media

elon musk quotes social media ai algorithms wisdom

The social media AI algorithms are basically dopamine maximizers. Elon Musk

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

I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means. Elon Musk

There should be regulations on social media to the degree that it negatively affects the public good. Elon Musk

What I’m trying to do is, is to make a significant difference in space flight. And help make space flight accessible to almost anyone. Elon Musk

If you go back a few hundred years, what we take for granted today would seem like magic – being able to talk to people over long distances, to transmit images, flying, accessing vast amounts of data like an oracle. These are all things that would have been considered magic a few hundred years ago. Elon Musk

elon musk quotes ai needs truth popular wisdom

AI needs to say the truth and know the truth, even if the truth isn’t popular. Elon Musk

I would urge parents to limit the amount of social media that children are able to see. Elon Musk

They maximize the amount of dopamine that you get by watching the screen. Elon Musk

Tesla is here to stay and keep fighting for the electric car revolution. Elon Musk

More Quotes By Elon Musk

elon musk quotes got excited about future wisdom

We’ve got to be excited about the future. Elon Musk

Some hate humanity, but I love humanity so much. Elon Musk

Tomorrow will be the first sunrise of the rest of your life – make it what you want. And remember that happiness is a choice. Elon Musk

We should send rockets not at each other, but rather to the stars. Elon Musk

There have to be reasons that you get up in the morning and you want to live. Why do you want to live? What’s the point? What inspires you? What do you love about the future? Elon Musk

Kids will make you happier than any material possession. Elon Musk

elon musk quotes live successful life wisdom

If you live a useful life, that is a good life. A life worth having lived. Elon Musk

Key Takeaways

  • Never give up. Elon Musk’s journey has been filled with setbacks. But he has consistently persevered. His story is a testament to the power of resilience. “You should not give up unless you are forced to give up”
  • Think (very) big. Musk is known for his ambitious goals. From colonizing Mars to revolutionizing transportation to building tunnels. In sum, don’t be scared to dream big and strive for the extraordinary. “If humanity doesn’t land on Mars in my lifetime, I would be very disappointed”
  • Have a strong work ethic. You don’t have to sleep on the floor, like Musk did during Tesla’s Model 3 production ramp-up. But ensure you are 100% committed to making your dream come true. “Persistence is very important”
  • Stay foolish. Musk warns us about the danger of listening too much to the opinions of others. However, never miss an opportunity to evolve and learn. “To fear parody or criticism is a sign of weakness”
  • Try to be useful. The big lesson from Musk is this: try to improve the world. And if you can’t, try to improve your city. And if you can’t, try to improve your company, your neighborhood, your family, your self. “If you live a useful life, that is a good life. A life worth having lived”

Elon Musk Visual

elon musk quotes try fail learn visual wisdom

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

It’s remarkable the business you can build if you don’t stop working. It’s remarkable the body you can build if you don’t stop training. It’s remarkable the knowledge you can build if you don’t stop learning. James Clear

Giving up is the easiest thing in the world. That’s why so many people do it. Mike Tyson

Further Readings

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Author Bio

maxime lagace

Maxime Lagacé started collecting quotes in 2004 after he lost his girlfriend in a car accident.

In search of meaning, he dived in the self-improvement world, psychology and trail running.

Books, blogs, quotes and nature became his guide.

He started journaling, reflecting, writing his thoughts, feelings and quotes.

His goal was to understand his pain, his depression, his fears, his lack of motivation and inspiration.

He finished his software engineering degree in 2007 at the École de Technologie Supérieure de Montréal.

A few years later, he started his first website to share his love of quotes.

Maxime is a father of two, husband, and INFJ.

Other notable interests of Maxime are health (mental and physical), meditation, bananas, SEO, human potential, and education.

You can find him on X, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Last update

October 16, 2024

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