--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Quality is free. It's not a gift, but…" description: "\"Quality is free. It's not a gift, but it's free. The 'unquality' things are what cost money.\" — Phil Crosby" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c2/phil-crosby-16889_business_quality-is-free-it-s-not-a-gift-but-it-s_1697163.png" --- # Quality is free. It's not a gift, but it's free. The… ![“Quality is free. It's not a gift, but it's free. The 'unquality' things are what cost money.” quote by Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c2/phil-crosby-16889_business_quality-is-free-it-s-not-a-gift-but-it-s_1697163.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c2/phil-crosby-16889_business_quality-is-free-it-s-not-a-gift-but-it-s_1697163.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c2/phil-crosby-16889_business_quality-is-free-it-s-not-a-gift-but-it-s_1697163.png) > “Quality is free. It's not a gift, but it's free. The 'unquality' things are what cost money.” [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Quality costs nothing; the expense comes from fixing defects and producing inferior items. **In simple terms:** Quality is free; defects cost money. Key Takeaway Prioritize quality to avoid hidden costs. Themes quality efficiency cost‑control Mood analytical pragmatic Type business educational When to use this quote - manufacturing - software development - service delivery - product design Key Concepts lean management process improvement Questions to Reflect On - What processes could you improve for quality? - How does defect reduction affect your bottom line? A Different Perspective Maintaining high quality can require upfront investment and discipline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Effectiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/) [Free Unquality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-unquality-1113449/) [Gift Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift-free-1113450/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Pricing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pricing/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Quality Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality-free-1113447/) [Unquality Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unquality-things-1113448/) [Usefulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usefulness/) [Utility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utility/) ## Related quotes > [Quality is free, provided it is done right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mcintyre/quality-is-free-provided-it-is-done-right-the-first-time/) [Bruce McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mcintyre/) > [Quality is free, but only to those who are willing to pay heavily for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-demarco/quality-is-free-but-only-to-those-who-are-willing-to-pay-heavily-for/) [Tom DeMarco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-demarco/) > [Quality is free, however - the Management Systems that proliferate it are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-watson/quality-is-free-however-the-management-systems-that-proliferate-it/) [Jay Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-watson/) > [“You all have a gift. It's free. It's the gift of song.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-e-schulze/you-all-have-a-gift-it-s-free-it-s-the-gift-of-song/) [Christine E. Schulze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-e-schulze/) > [“Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tis-the-gift-to-be-simple-tis-the-gift-to-be-free/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No matter how many times you forget it, you can turn around and help someone. Or you can deliver a positive message or share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-dushku/no-matter-how-many-times-you-forget-it-you-can-turn-around-and-help/) [Eliza Dushku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-dushku/) > [The devil never gave a gift for free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tananarive-due/the-devil-never-gave-a-gift-for-free/) [Tananarive Due](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tananarive-due/) > [Basically, the single-most important decision in evaluating a business is pricing power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/basically-the-single-most-important-decision-in-evaluating-a-business/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [You can't flood the market with every TV show, every reality show, and dump your library into the market all at one time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mechanic/you-can-t-flood-the-market-with-every-tv-show-every-reality-show-and/) [Bill Mechanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mechanic/) > [Marketing is the act of inventing the product. 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It enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murdoch/connectivity-doesn-t-just-mean-you-get-a-lot-more-chances-to-deliver/) [James Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murdoch/) > [ Skilled shortages in America exist because we are shielding our skilled labor force from world competition. \[Visa quotas\] have been substituted for the wage… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/skilled-shortages-in-america-exist-because-we-are-shielding-our/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“No longer were the prices of ordinary mortgage bonds allowed to roam inefficiently, for they were now linked to the CMO market, in much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/no-longer-were-the-prices-of-ordinary-mortgage-bonds-allowed-to-roam/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [One thing that we have learned is that piracy is not a pricing issue. It’s a service issue,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/one-thing-that-we-have-learned-is-that-piracy-is-not-a-pricing-issue/) [Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/) ## More by Phil Crosby > [You don't have to be noisy to be effective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/you-don-t-have-to-be-noisy-to-be-effective/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [We must define quality as conformance to specifications if we are to manage it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/we-must-define-quality-as-conformance-to-specifications-if-we-are-to/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [Selecting the right person for the right job is the largest part of coaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/selecting-the-right-person-for-the-right-job-is-the-largest-part-of/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [Slowness to change usually means fear of the new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/slowness-to-change-usually-means-fear-of-the-new/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [Quality means conformance to requirements, not elegance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/quality-means-conformance-to-requirements-not-elegance/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [Successful people breed success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/successful-people-breed-success/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [Being convinced one knows the whole story is the surest way to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/being-convinced-one-knows-the-whole-story-is-the-surest-way-to-fail/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [Change should be a friend. It should happen by plan, not by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/change-should-be-a-friend-it-should-happen-by-plan-not-by-accident/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [The cost of quality is the expense of doing things wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/the-cost-of-quality-is-the-expense-of-doing-things-wrong/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [You are going to be measured anyway by some means, fair or foul. Usually the one doing the measuring has nothing specific in mind;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/you-are-going-to-be-measured-anyway-by-some-means-fair-or-foul/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [It isn't what you find, it's what you do about what you find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/it-isn-t-what-you-find-it-s-what-you-do-about-what-you-find/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [Improving quality requires a culture change, not just a new diet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/improving-quality-requires-a-culture-change-not-just-a-new-diet/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [You have to lead people gently toward what they already know is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/you-have-to-lead-people-gently-toward-what-they-already-know-is-right/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [When you're out of quality, you're out of business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/when-you-re-out-of-quality-you-re-out-of-business/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) > [Quality is the result of a carefully constructed cultural environment. It has to be the fabric of the organization, not part of the fabric.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/quality-is-the-result-of-a-carefully-constructed-cultural-environment/) [Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) [Explore all 38 Phil Crosby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]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,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. 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