Business Quote by MJ DeMarco
““Thou shalt not invest in a needless business. Thou shalt not trade time for money. Thou shalt not operate on a limited scale. Thou shalt not relinquish control. Thou shalt not let a business startup be an event over process.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The 4-Hour Workweek, Timothy Ferriss, 2007
Avoid investing in ventures that lack purpose, waste time, are too small, surrender control, or treat startups as one‑off events.
In simple terms: Don't waste time on pointless, small, or uncontrolled businesses.
Key Takeaway
Focus on purposeful, scalable, controlled projects.
Themes
business strategy
time management
control
purpose
scale
Mood
cautious
analytical
determined
Type
advisory
motivational
When to use this quote
- starting a company
- evaluating investments
- setting business goals
- maintaining control
- scaling operations
Key Concepts
entrepreneurship
efficiency
risk management
Questions to Reflect On
- What criteria define a needless business?
- How can you ensure control while scaling?
A Different Perspective
It may be hard to identify “needless” ventures without clear metrics.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)