It isn’t easy to be an entrepreneur. Those who’ve taken up this uphill journey will tell you that it is a life changing experience. It can take you to the heights of euphoria, pits of darkness, awaken a sense of passion and sometimes drive you insane. It can do all of this on the same day!

Often, when you start living the journey, you look at fellow entrepreneurs around you – those who’ve made it, those who didn’t make it and those who are struggling just like you every day. It is then that a sense of epiphany appears and their world – the collective world of entrepreneurs – begins to make sense. You look for inspiration and motivation and most of all a sense of belonging from this world. Here are 10 legendary quotes about entrepreneurship that will make you look at your own business in a new light.

1. The richest people in the world look for and build networks. Everyone else looks for work – Robert Kiyosaki

On most days, you want to leave the free fall of entrepreneurship and take up a job that assures a salary at the end of the month. But there is a sense of adventure in that free fall that is a lure. Those who dare take the risk sometimes receive the best rewards. It isn’t easy to be among the elite club of entrepreneurs but it’s worth it.

2. Karen Lamb: “A year from now you will wish you had started today.”

When the entrepreneurship bug bites it also injects a bit of fear in us. That fear makes us stall and push our entrepreneurship dreams to ‘a bit later’.  A bit later when you have time; when you have money; when you can afford it. A year later when you see another entrepreneur successfully executing your idea, all you’ll have is regrets. Time and tide favours the brave. Take the risk. Fail fast if you have to so that you can learn and move on

3. Scott Belsky, Behance: “It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.”

Many entrepreneurs think that they have landed a goldmine with their million-dollar idea. The key here is that it isn’t the idea that investors pay for. They invest into the entrepreneurs’ ability to make the idea work. They invest into your cumulative experience, you team and your leadership in executing the idea.

4. Mark Twain: “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

As a small business entrepreneur, everyone thinks they have the right to judge you. Advice, often unsolicited, will become a part of your life. But not all of it is great and people can be harsh. It’s best to ignore people whose advice is counterproductive. Keep you spirits high by surrounding yourself with people who share constructive criticism.

5. Bill Gates:“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

Speaking of constructive criticism, you will get your fair share when you start. And it’ll come from the end user who uses his savings to buy and try your product – a product that hasn’t got the backing of a trusted brand name. It is their criticism that’ll help you evolve faster and learn from small mistakes now rather than big mistakes later.

6. Warren Buffett: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

If you are an entrepreneur today, you’ll be an entrepreneur for life. What you do today, how you do it and how you treat people on your way up will all be remembered at every critical juncture in life. Be good because Karma is watching!

7. Rocky (movie): “Nobody is going to hit as hard as life, but it ain’t how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

Failure is a part of entrepreneurship. If you don’t fail, you can’t learn. And if you don’t learn, you won’t grow. If you don’t grow, you won’t succeed.

8. No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all. Integrity is everything

This quote is one that all entrepreneurs should remember. Those who you meet and employ today (and even the ones you don’t) will remember how you treated them when they were ‘nothing’.

9. Vivienne Harr, Make A Stand: “Stick with it, even on the bad days.”

Entrepreneurship will have its days. Good ones when you get orders and things look bright. Bad ones when your biggest customer walks away. You can’t have the rainbow without the rain.

10. Albert Schweitzer: “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

This one little word – happiness – is what entrepreneurs tend to forget in the rush. And it is all that matters in what you do. Be happy – everything else will fall in place.