44attributable Musk quotes — each dated, given context, and linked to a source so they can't be misquoted out of thin air.
“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.”
Said during a CBS 60 Minutes interview reflecting on the risks of founding SpaceX and Tesla.
Source“I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact.”
Said during his keynote interview at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas.
Source“AI is a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization.”
Warning delivered to U.S. governors at the National Governors Association summer meeting.
Source“With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon.”
Said at the MIT AeroAstro Centennial Symposium, urging caution on AI.
Source“Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”
On SpaceX's iterative, risk-tolerant engineering culture, restated in a TED interview.
Source“Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up.”
Advice given in an interview about entrepreneurship and overcoming setbacks.
Source“I could either watch it happen or be a part of it.”
On his decision to actively build the future rather than be a bystander to technological change.
Source“I think it's possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.”
Remark on personal potential and the choice not to conform to convention.
Source“The future of humanity is going to bifurcate in two directions: Either it's going to become multiplanetary, or it's going to remain confined to one planet and eventually there's going to be an extinction event.”
Said during an interview at the D11 (AllThingsD) technology conference.
Source“We don't want to be one of those single-planet species; we want to be a multi-planet species.”
Comment on SpaceX's long-term mission to settle Mars and ensure humanity's survival.
Source“Some people don't like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.”
Remark on the necessity of innovation and adaptation.
Source“When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars, people said, 'Nah, what's wrong with a horse?' That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.”
On taking bold bets, drawing an analogy between electric cars and the early automobile.
Source“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.”
Said during his TED Talk interview with Chris Anderson.
Source“Constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.”
Advice on self-improvement and continuous feedback in engineering and leadership.
Source“It is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree. Make sure you understand the fundamental principles, i.e. the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details.”
Reddit AMA reply explaining his approach to learning quickly.
Source“I don't ever give up. I'd have to be dead or completely incapacitated.”
On his refusal to abandon Tesla and SpaceX during their near-bankruptcy in 2008.
Source“Work like hell. I mean you just have to put in 80 to 100 hour weeks every week.”
Advice to entrepreneurs in his University of Southern California commencement address.
Source“I think we should be very cautious about artificial intelligence. If I were to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it's probably that.”
Said at the MIT AeroAstro Centennial Symposium.
Source“The first step is to establish that something is possible; then probability will occur.”
On overcoming skepticism about ambitious engineering goals at SpaceX and Tesla.
Source“Great companies are built on great products.”
On his core business philosophy of prioritizing product quality over marketing.
Source“If the rules are such that you can't make progress, then you have to fight the rules.”
On challenging regulations and conventions that impede technological advancement.
Source“I'd rather be optimistic and wrong than pessimistic and right.”
On his outlook toward the future of technology and humanity.
Source“The path to the CEO’s office should not be through the CFO’s office, and it should not be through the marketing department. It needs to be through engineering and design.”
On the kind of leadership he believes drives great product companies.
Source“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”
Statement issued when he agreed to acquire Twitter.
Source“By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.”
Posted on Twitter clarifying his philosophy after agreeing to buy the platform.
Source“The thing that drives me is that I want to be able to think about the future and feel good about that.”
Said during his second TED interview about the motivation behind his ventures.
Source“We’re going to make Mars a nice place to live.”
Said while unveiling the Interplanetary Transport System at the International Astronautical Congress.
Source“Really pay attention to negative feedback and solicit it, particularly from friends. Hardly anyone does that, and it’s incredibly helpful.”
Advice on self-improvement and avoiding blind spots.
Source“People should pursue what they’re passionate about. That will make them happier than pretty much anything else.”
Advice on career and life choices in an interview.
Source“Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time.”
On Tesla's strategy of letting product quality build the company's reputation.
Source“I think by the time we are reactive in AI regulation, it’s too late.”
Said to U.S. governors while arguing for proactive oversight of artificial intelligence.
Source“Starlink is intended to be a giant connectivity that covers the whole world.”
Describing the goal of SpaceX's satellite internet constellation to provide global broadband.
Source“About half my money is intended to help problems on Earth and half to help establish a self-sustaining city on Mars to ensure continuation of life in case Earth gets hit by a meteor.”
Explaining on Twitter what he intends to do with his wealth.
Source“I think it is important to reason from first principles rather than by analogy. You boil things down to the most fundamental truths and then reason up from there.”
Describing his problem-solving method in his TED interview.
Source“The machine that builds the machine is vastly harder than the machine itself. The factory is the product.”
On why Tesla treats manufacturing itself as the core engineering challenge, from Master Plan, Part Deux.
Source“Running a startup is like chewing glass and staring into the abyss. After a while, you stop staring, but the glass chewing never ends.”
On the brutal reality of building companies.
Source“Sustainable energy is going to happen no matter what — but it matters if it happens sooner or later.”
On why Tesla's mission is to accelerate the transition, in his TED interview.
Source“The long-term aspiration with Neuralink would be to achieve a sort of symbiosis with artificial intelligence.”
At Neuralink's launch event, describing the company's ultimate goal.
Source“You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great — and that is what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It is about believing in the future.”
Speaking about Mars and humanity’s future at SXSW.
Source“Nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week.”
On the intensity required to do hard things, posted to Twitter.
Source“Patience is a virtue, and I’m learning patience. It’s a tough lesson.”
Reflecting on himself while hosting Saturday Night Live.
Source“The whole point of Tesla is to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport and energy.”
Restating the mission behind the company’s "Secret Master Plan."
Source“Life cannot just be about solving problems. There have to be things that inspire you and make you glad to be alive.”
Unveiling the Mars plan at the International Astronautical Congress.
Source“I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house.”
Announcing on Twitter that he was shedding personal assets.
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