Entrepreneurs / Investors

50 Inspiring Peter Thiel Quotes (ZERO TO ONE)

December 1, 2023December 1, 2023

Top 10 Most Famous Peter Thiel Quotes (BEST)

“The next Bill Gates will not start an operating system. The next Larry Page won’t start a search engine. The next Mark Zuckerberg won’t start a social network company. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them.”
Peter Thiel

Brilliant thinking is rare, but courage is in even shorter supply than genius. — Brilliant thinking is rare, but courage is in even shorter supply than genius.

The most successful businesses have an idea for the future that's very different from the present. — The most successful businesses have an idea for the future that’s very different from the present.

Today's 'best practices' lead to dead ends; the best paths are new and untried. — Today’s ‘best practices’ lead to dead ends; the best paths are new and untried.

The most contrarian thing of all is not to oppose the crowd but to think for yourself.

“People always say you should live your life as if it were your last day. I think you should live your life as though it will go on for ever; that every day is so good that you don’t want it to end.”
Peter Thiel

What important truth do very few people agree with you on?

The most valuable businesses of coming decades will be built by entrepreneurs who seek to empower people rather than try to make them obsolete. — The most valuable businesses of coming decades will be built by entrepreneurs who seek to empower people rather than try to make them obsolete.

People are spending way too much time thinking about climate change, way too little thinking about AI. — People are spending way too much time thinking about climate change, way too little thinking about AI.

Monopoly is the condition of every successful business.

10 Inspirational Peter Thiel Quotes About Life

You should focus relentlessly on something you’re good at doing, but before that you must think hard about whether it will be valuable in the future. — You should focus relentlessly on something you’re good at doing, but before that you must think hard about whether it will be valuable in the future.

Madness is rare in individuals — but in groups, parties, nations, and ages it is the rule.

Unsolved problems are where you'll find opportunity. Energy is one sector with extremely urgent unsolved problems. — Unsolved problems are where you’ll find opportunity. Energy is one sector with extremely urgent unsolved problems.

The best projects are likely to be overlooked, not trumpeted by a crowd; the best problems to work on are often the ones nobody else even tries to solve.

The road doesn’t have to be infinite after all. Take the hidden paths.

Contrarian thinking doesn't make any sense unless the world still has secrets left to give up. — Contrarian thinking doesn’t make any sense unless the world still has secrets left to give up.

When people use the word 'science,' it's often a tell, like in poker, that you're bluffing. — When people use the word ‘science,’ it’s often a tell, like in poker, that you’re bluffing.

I believe, basically, that individual freedom is very important. — I believe, basically, that individual freedom is very important.

Don't bother starting the 10,000th restaurant in Manhattan. Find something to do that if you don't do it, it won't get done. — Don’t bother starting the 10,000th restaurant in Manhattan. Find something to do that if you don’t do it, it won’t get done.

Don’t always go through the tiny little door that everyone is trying to rush through…

8 Peter Thiel Quotes on Business and Success

An entrepreneur must deal with more uncertainty than a professional with a well-defined role. — An entrepreneur must deal with more uncertainty than a professional with a well-defined role.

Business is the opposite. All happy companies are different: each one earns a monopoly by solving a unique problem. — Business is the opposite. All happy companies are different: each one earns a monopoly by solving a unique problem.

When you are starting a new business you don't want to go after giant markets. You want to go after small markets and take over those markets quickly. — When you are starting a new business you don’t want to go after giant markets. You want to go after small markets and take over those markets quickly.

You’ve invented something new but you haven’t invented an effective way to sell it, you have a bad business—no matter how good the product.

If you get a creative monopoly for inventing something new, I think it’s symptomatic of having created something really valuable.

Properly defined, a startup is the largest group of people you can convince of a plan to build a different future.

You don't want to just do 'me too' companies that are copying what others are doing. — You don’t want to just do ‘me too’ companies that are copying what others are doing.

Every business is successful exactly to the extent that it does something others cannot.

12 Peter Thiel Quotes on Monopoly and Competition

The thing that’s always a big mistake is going after a giant market on Day 1.

Go after small markets, often markets that are so small that people don’t even notice them, they don’t think they make sense.

These very small markets are quite underrated.

There are exactly 2 kinds of businesses in this world. Businesses that are perfectly competitive and businesses that are monopolies.

If you can’t monopolize a unique solution for a small market, you’ll be stuck with vicious competition.

All failed companies are the same: they failed to escape competition.

If you’re a non-monopolist, you will rhetorically describe your market as super small, you’re the only person in that market.

Competition means no profits for anybody, no meaningful differentiation, and a struggle for survival.

If the monopolists pretend not to have monopolies & the non-monopolists pretend to have monopolies, the apparent difference is very small.

If you have a monopoly, you will describe it as super big, and there is lots of competition in it.

Anyone that has a monopoly will pretend that they’re in incredible competition.

If you’re a startup, you want to get to a monopoly.

3 Peter Thiel Quotes on Money and Investing

First, only invest in companies that have the potential to return the value of the entire fund.

Most of a tech company’s value will come at least 10 to 15 years in the future. — Most of a tech company’s value will come at least 10 to 15 years in the future.

Wall Street is always too biased toward short-term profitability and biased against long-term growth. — Wall Street is always too biased toward short-term profitability and biased against long-term growth.

7 Peter Thiel Quotes on Technology

“Spiraling demand for resources of which our world contains a finite supply is the great long-term threat posed by globalisation. That is why we need new technology to relieve it.”
Peter Thiel

Customers won’t care about any particular technology unless it solves a particular problem in a superior way.

There's absolutely no bubble in technology. — There’s absolutely no bubble in technology.

If your product requires advertising or salespeople to sell it, it’s not good enough: technology is primarily about product development, not distribution.

In a world of scarce resources, globalization without new technology is unsustainable.

Every one of today's smartphones has thousands of times more processing power than the computers that guided astronauts to the moon. — Every one of today’s smartphones has thousands of times more processing power than the computers that guided astronauts to the moon.

Most of 'big data' is a fraud because it is really 'dumb data.' — Most of ‘big data’ is a fraud because it is really ‘dumb data.’

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(MUST READ) Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future — Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

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