Rather than having small smart tricks to get by, focus on holding on and persevering.
Interpretation
Focus on persistence and resilience instead of quick fixes.
Jack Ma's quote emphasizes the importance of perseverance over relying on quick, clever tricks to navigate challenges. It suggests that success is achieved through consistent effort and determination, rather than superficial shortcuts that may offer fleeting solutions.
In practice
In a motivational speech to young entrepreneurs about overcoming challenges.
Hong Kong people say Hong Kong needs to preserve its uniqueness. I say Hong Kong's uniqueness is in its diversity, its tolerance of difference cultures... China does not want to see Hong Kong in decline. I have full confidence in its future.
If we are a good team and know what we want to do, one of us can defeat tons of them.
It's not that other countries steal jobs from you guys. It's your strategy. Distribute the money and things in a proper way.
Helping doing business easier, we choose the name Alibaba because it is a global company. It is founded in China, but it was created for the world.
In the beginning I just wanted to survive. For the first three years, we made zero revenue. I remember many times when I was trying to pay up, the restaurant owner would say, 'Your bill was paid.' And there would be a note saying, 'Mr. Ma, I'm your customer on the Alibaba platform. I made a lot of money, and I know you don't, so I paid the bill.'
Even if your competitor is still small in size or weak, you should take him seriously and treat him as a giant. Likewise, even if your competitor is massive in size, you shouldn't regard yourself as a weakling.
When it is a question of God's almighty Spirit, never say, 'I can't.'
If you are humble, your concentration will be very high. That's the way to go in sports.
It's only when you risk failure that you discover things. When you play it safe, you're not expressing the utmost of your human experience.
The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly; who know the great enthusiasums, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause; who at best know the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
As I followed my dream - stayed in-Spirit, that is, inspired - I made more money in the first year after I gave up my employment than I had made in the previous 35 years of my life.
My whole life, people have doubted me. My mom did. People told me in high school I'm too short and not fast enough to play basketball. They didn't know my story. Because if they did, they'd know that anything is possible.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.