Explore Quotes by Phil Knight

I know when the Berlin wall went down and I walked into what was East Berlin and saw two big Nike banners - that gave me a chill.

I think a businessman can be an artist just as much as a writer or a sculptor, so I'm real proud of what the company has become.

When we changed from Tiger to Nike, we had to have a design for the shoe. And where do you go to? There's no 'dial 9-1-1' for design.

When I took the entrepreneurship class at Stanford, the first lecture was about an entrepreneur and his personality. They described it as being different than a businessman, who is an overall scientific manager.

A shoe dog is somebody that really loves shoes, and that was me. I was a runner... that became important to me, and it's been with me ever since.

Every businessman, or every person who has a passion for his work, is torn for the time spent at work and the time spent with your family.

We knew we could fail; we just didn't think we would.

I do believe that international trade agreements benefit both nations, always.

There comes a time in every life when the past recedes and the future opens. It's that moment when you turn to face the unknown. Some will turn back to what they already know. Some will walk straight ahead into uncertainty. I can't tell you which one is right. But I can tell you which one is more fun.

Sports is like rock 'n' roll. Both are dominant cultural forces, both speak an international language, and both are all about emotions.

It doesn't matter how many people you offend, as long as you're getting your message to your consumers. I say to those people who do not want to offend anybody: You are going to have a very, very difficult time having meaningful advertising.

It's alright to be Goliath but always act like David.

Dare to take chances, lest you leave your talent buried in the ground.

You can't explain much in 60 seconds, but when you show Michael Jordan, you don't have to. It's that simple.

I still get real nervous when I go in front of more than two people.

A brand is something that has a clear-cut identity among consumers, which a company creates by sending out a clear, consistent message over a period of years until it achieves a critical mass of marketing.

Now we understand that the most important thing we do is market the product. We've come around to saying that Nike is a marketing-oriented company, and the product is our most important marketing tool.

We used to think that everything started in the lab. Now we realize that everything spins off the consumer.

Meeting sports athletes that are the best in the world is a thrill to this day.

My job is to listen to ideas, maybe cook up a few of my own, and make decisions based on what's good for the shareholders and for the company.

Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are really part of a very big advertising program, and the fact that they make so much money is because the markets have dictated that they get that money, and the fact that they endorse our products allows us to sell more products and create more jobs.