58 Best Sam Walton Quotes on Change (WALMART)

In the annals of retail history, few names shine as brightly as Sam Walton. Known for founding the global behemoth, Walmart, and his relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction, Walton is a figure whose legacy continues to shape the world of retail and beyond.

These quotes aren’t just business strategies; they are pearls of wisdom from a man who revolutionized retail with a singular focus on value and service. They offer insights into entrepreneurship, customer-centricity, and the core values that formed the foundation of Walton’s successful business model.

Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned business owner, or simply someone fascinated by the world of commerce, these quotes will stimulate your thinking, deepen your understanding, and inspire you to put customers first.

Top 14 Most Famous Sam Walton Quotes to Inspire Success & Change

I had to pick myself up and get on with it, do it all over again, only even better this time.

Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves it is amazing what they can accomplish.

I’ve always had a strong bias towards action. — I’ve always had a strong bias towards **action**.

You can't just keep doing what works one time, everything around you is changing. To succeed, stay out in front of change. — You can’t just keep doing what works one time, everything around you is changing. To succeed, stay out in front of **change**.

To succeed in this world, you have to change all the time. — To succeed in this world, you have to **change** all the **time**.

There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.

“We couldn’t care less about what is forecast or what the market says we ought to do. If we listened very seriously to that sort of stuff, we never would have gone into small-town discounting in the first place.”
Sam Walton

Each Wal-Mart store should reflect the values of its customers and support the vision they hold for their community.

We're all working together; that's the secret. — We’re all working together; that’s the secret.

We let folks know we're interested in them and that they're vital to us. Cause they are. — We let folks know we’re interested in them and that they’re vital to us. Cause they are.

High expectations are the key to everything.

Most everything I’ve done, I’ve copied from somebody else.

When somebody made a mistake – we talked about it, admitted it, tried to figure out how to correct it, and then moved on to the next day’s work.

The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.

44 Highly Inspirational Sam Walton Quotes to Empower You

“Every time Wal-Mart spends one dollar foolishly, it comes right out of our customers’ pockets. Every time we save them a dollar, that puts us one more step ahead of the competition—which is where we always plan to be.”
Sam Walton

I have always been driven to buck the system, to innovate, to take things beyond where they've been. — I have always been driven to buck the system, to **innovate**, to take things beyond where they’ve been.

You can make a positive out of the most negative if you work at it hard enough. — You can make a positive out of the most negative if you **work at it hard enough**.

The key to success is to get out into the store and listen to what the associates have to say. — The key to **success** is to get out into the store and listen to what the associates have to say.

Great ideas come from everywhere if you just listen and look for them. You never know who’s going to have a great idea.

My role has been to pick good people, and give them the maximum authority and responsibility. — My role has been to pick good people, and give them the maximum authority and **responsibility**.

“For my whole career in retail, I have stuck by one guiding principle. It’s a simple one, and I have repeated it over and over and over in this book until I’m sure you’re sick to death of it. But I’m going to say it again anyway: the secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want.”
Sam Walton

I learned a long time ago that exercising your ego in public is definitely not the way to build an effective organization.

Capital isn't scarce; vision is. — Capital isn’t scarce; vision is.

The way management treats associates is exactly how the associates will treat the customers.

If you want the people in the stores to take care of the customers, you have to make sure you’re taking care of the people in the stores.

If you love your work, you'll be out there every day trying to do it the best you possibly can, and pretty soon everybody around will catch the passion from you - like a fever. — If you love your work, you’ll be out there every day trying to do it the best you possibly can, and pretty soon everybody around will catch the passion from you – like a fever.

What we guard against around here is people saying, ‘Let’s think about it.’ We make a decision. Then we act on it.

Many of our best opportunities were created out of necessity.

Everybody likes praise, and we look for every chance we can to heap it on somebody.

“Celebrate your success and find humor in your failures. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Loosen up and everyone around you will loosen up. Have fun and always show enthusiasm. When all else fails, put on a costume and sing a silly song.”
Sam Walton

Appreciate everything your associates do for the business.

Individuals don't win in business, teams do. — Individuals don’t win in business, teams do.

One person seeking glory doesn’t accomplish very much.

Leaders must always put their people before themselves. If you do that, your business will take care of itself.

Communicate everything you can to your associates. The more they know, the more they care. Once they care, there is no stopping them.

Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free and worth a fortune. — Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune.

“If you take someone who lacks the experience and the know-how but has the real desire and the willingness to work his tail off to get the job done, he’ll make up for what he lacks. And that proved true nine times out of ten.”
Sam Walton

Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom. — Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional **wisdom**.

If everybody is doing it one way, there's a good chance you can find your niche by going exactly in the opposite direction. — If everybody is doing it one way, there’s a good chance you can find your niche by going exactly in the opposite direction.

Exceed your customer's expectations. If you do, they'll come back over and over. Give them what they want - and a little more. — Exceed your customer’s expectations. If you do, they’ll come back over and over. Give them what they want – and a little more.

I learned this early on in the variety business: You've got to give folks responsibility, you've got to trust them, and then you've got to check on them. — I learned this early on in the variety business: You’ve got to give folks **responsibility**, you’ve got to **trust** them, and then you’ve got to check on them.

There's absolutely no limit to what plain, ordinary, working people can accomplish if they're given the opportunity and encouragement to do their best. — There’s absolutely no limit to what plain, ordinary, working people can accomplish if they’re given the opportunity and **encouragement** to do their best.

Control your expenses better than your competition. This is where you can always find the competitive advantage. — Control your expenses better than your **competition**. This is where you can always find the competitive advantage.

I remember one time I didn’t want to spend any money on motels so we all slept in sleeping bags on the floor of one of our guy’s house. His furniture hadn’t gotten there yet. — I remember one time I didn’t want to spend any **money** on motels so we all slept in sleeping bags on the floor of one of our guy’s house. His furniture hadn’t gotten there yet.

“It is a story about entrepreneurship, and risk, and hard work, and knowing where you want to go and being willing to do what it takes to get there. And it’s a story about believing in your idea even when maybe some other folks don’t, and about sticking to your guns.”
Sam Walton

And like most other overnight successes, it was about twenty years in the making.

I’d hate to see any descendants of mine fall into the category of what I’d call ‘idle rich’ – a group I’ve never had much use for.

Take the best out of everything and adapt it to your needs.

You can make a lot of mistakes and still recover if you run an efficient operation. Or you can be brilliant and still go out of business if you're too inefficient. — You can make a lot of mistakes and still recover if you run an efficient operation. Or you can be brilliant and still go out of business if you’re too inefficient.

“I learned early on that one of the secrets of campus leadership was the simplest thing of all: speak to people coming down the sidewalk before they speak to you. I would always look ahead and speak to the person coming toward me. If I knew them I would call them by name, but even if I didn’t I would still speak to them.”
Sam Walton

I probably have traveled and walked into more variety stores than anybody in America.

I had to get up everyday with my mind set on improving something.

If you don’t listen to your customers, someone else will.

If one of our customers comes into the store without a smile, I'll give them one of mine. — If one of our customers comes into the store without a smile, I’ll give them one of mine.

It's terribly important for everyone to get involved. Our best ideas come from clerks and stockboys. — It’s terribly important for everyone to get involved. Our best ideas come from clerks and stockboys.

If you want a successful business, your people must feel that you are working for them - not that they are working for you. — If you want a successful business, your people must feel that you are working for them – not that they are working for you.

All that hullabaloo about somebody's net worth is just stupid, and it's made my life a lot more complex and difficult. — All that hullabaloo about somebody’s net worth is just stupid, and it’s made my life a lot more complex and difficult.

“Be prepared for a lot of folks to wave you down and tell you you’re headed the wrong way. I guess in all my years, what I heard more often than anything was: a town of less than 50,000 population cannot support a discount store for very long.”
Sam Walton

Sam Walton Short Biography

Born on 29 March 1918, Kingfisher, Oklahoma, U.S., Samuel Moore Walton was an American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the giant discount retail chain, Walmart in 1962 and Sam’s Club in 1983.

Between 1982 to 1988, Forbes ranked Sam Walton one of the richest men in America, and at one point, Walton was the richest man in the world.

He stepped down as CEO in 1988 but still actively participated in the company until his death in 1992.

By 1990, Walmart grew to be the largest retail chain in the United States. It is the world’s largest corporation by revenue and the world’s biggest private employer.

Further reading:

The Life and Legacy of Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart – the balance
Sam Walton: Great From the Start – Harvard Business School
The Success Story of Sam Walton — Things to Know About Wal Mart and Entrepreneurship – Medium
Sam Walton: Disrupting an Industry – This is Capitalism

Here are the best Sam Walton quotes so you can stick to fundamental values, follow your passion and believe in people.

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Also read:

Top 14 Most Famous Sam Walton Quotes to Inspire Success & Change

44 Highly Inspirational Sam Walton Quotes to Empower You

Sam Walton Short Biography

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