--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who run companies are faced with…" description: "\"“People who run companies are faced with important choices every day. How they make those choices determines the character of the company, the quality ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/ray-dalio-299_business_people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with_1785894.jpg" --- # People who run companies are faced with important choices… ![“People who run companies are faced with important choices every day. How they make those choices determines the character of the company, the quality of its relationships, and the outcomes it produces.” quote by Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/ray-dalio-299_business_people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with_1785894.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/ray-dalio-299_business_people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with_1785894.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/ray-dalio-299_business_people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with_1785894.jpg) > ““People who run companies are faced with important choices every day. How they make those choices determines the character of the company, the quality of its relationships, and the outcomes it produces.”” [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Decision making shapes a company's culture, relationships, and results; daily choices define its character. **In simple terms:** Choices define a company's character and outcomes. Key Takeaway Make thoughtful choices daily. Themes leadership decision making company culture Mood reflective strategic Type advice leadership When to use this quote - executive meetings - product development - team hiring - crisis management Key Concepts systems thinking ethical judgment Questions to Reflect On - How do you evaluate the long‑term impact of a daily decision? - What processes help mitigate bias? A Different Perspective Choices are constrained by limited information and bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Important choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-choices/) ## Related quotes > [“We make choices every day about what will inspire us and what we will allow to get us down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mininni/we-make-choices-every-day-about-what-will-inspire-us-and-what-we-will/) [Lisa Mininni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mininni/) > [We make choices every day, some of them good, some of them bad. And if we are strong enough, we live with the consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell-lord-of-the-silver-bow/we-make-choices-every-day-some-of-them-good-some-of-them-bad-and-if/) David Gemmell Lord of the Silver Bow > [“As an American, you make choices every day for others by supporting your government and its excursions or military actions into other countries. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacquelyn-frank/as-an-american-you-make-choices-every-day-for-others-by-supporting/) [Jacquelyn Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacquelyn-frank/) > [You make choices every day and almost every hour that keep you walking in the light or moving away toward darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/you-make-choices-every-day-and-almost-every-hour-that-keep-you/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [The most important choices you make are the choices about how you see yourself, the Universe, and your relationship to the Universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/the-most-important-choices-you-make-are-the-choices-about-how-you-see/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [“You get only two or three important choices in life. What job you do, whom you marry. Those are big decisions. If you’re right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bauman/you-get-only-two-or-three-important-choices-in-life-what-job-you-do/) [Jeff Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bauman/) > [I've always said that the better off you are, the more responsibility you have for helping others. Just as I think it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-slim/i-ve-always-said-that-the-better-off-you-are-the-more-responsibility/) [Carlos Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-slim/) > [Well, well-run companies always have a focus on growth and the two lines, which includes profit. The key thing during, I think, tough times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/well-well-run-companies-always-have-a-focus-on-growth-and-the-two/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [I'd like to see women get on to boards and run companies despite the fact that men occupy the citadels of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-johnson/i-d-like-to-see-women-get-on-to-boards-and-run-companies-despite-the/) [Rachel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-johnson/) > [I don't run any of my companies. I always partner with somebody who wants to operate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-mckelvey/i-don-t-run-any-of-my-companies-i-always-partner-with-somebody-who/) [Jim McKelvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-mckelvey/) > [European and American companies companies do create jobs for some people but what they're mainly going to do is make an already wealthy elite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/european-and-american-companies-companies-do-create-jobs-for-some/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [About half the people at Valve have run their own companies, so they always have the option not just to take a job at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/about-half-the-people-at-valve-have-run-their-own-companies-so-they/) [Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/) > [I may be a businessman in that I set up and run companies for profit, but when I try to plan ahead and dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-may-be-a-businessman-in-that-i-set-up-and-run-companies-for-profit/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [People who work for me are working for what I believe in. The leaders who run our companies do so on the basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/people-who-work-for-me-are-working-for-what-i-believe-in-the-leaders/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have started or run several companies and spent time with dozens of entrepreneurs over the years. Virtually none of them, in my experience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/i-have-started-or-run-several-companies-and-spent-time-with-dozens-of/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) ## More by Ray Dalio > [“Slow down your thinking so you can note the criteria you are using to make your decision. 2. Write the criteria down as a principle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/slow-down-your-thinking-so-you-can-note-the-criteria-you-are-using-to/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Having a process that ensures problems are brought to the surface, and their root causes diagnosed, assures that continual improvements occur.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/having-a-process-that-ensures-problems-are-brought-to-the-surface-and/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“If you can’t successfully do something, don’t think you can tell others how it should be done”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/if-you-can-t-successfully-do-something-don-t-think-you-can-tell/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Remember that a good plan should resemble a movie script.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/remember-that-a-good-plan-should-resemble-a-movie-script/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“I believe that the key to success lies in knowing how to both strive for a lot and fail well. By failing well, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-believe-that-the-key-to-success-lies-in-knowing-how-to-both-strive/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I'm scared of one man, one vote because it suggests that everybody has an equal ability at making decisions, and I think that's dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-m-scared-of-one-man-one-vote-because-it-suggests-that-everybody-has/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“A manager’s ability to recognize when outcomes are inconsistent with goals and then modify designs and assemble people to rectify them makes all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/a-manager-s-ability-to-recognize-when-outcomes-are-inconsistent-with/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“So I learned to be radically open-minded to allow others to point out what I might be missing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/so-i-learned-to-be-radically-open-minded-to-allow-others-to-point-out/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“During those terrible days after 9/11, when the whole country was being whipsawed by emotion, or the weeks between September 19 and October 10,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/during-those-terrible-days-after-9-11-when-the-whole-country-was/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“is more effective to train that subconscious, emotional you the same way you would teach a child to behave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/is-more-effective-to-train-that-subconscious-emotional-you-the-same/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I think that the first thing is you should have a strategic asset allocation mix that assumes that you don't know what the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-think-that-the-first-thing-is-you-should-have-a-strategic-asset/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Life is like a game where you seek to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving your goals. You get better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/life-is-like-a-game-where-you-seek-to-overcome-the-obstacles-that/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“when we look down on ourselves through the eyes of nature we are of absolutely no significance. It is a reality that each one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/when-we-look-down-on-ourselves-through-the-eyes-of-nature-we-are-of/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Great questions are a much better indicator of future success than great answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/great-questions-are-a-much-better-indicator-of-future-success-than/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Georgi Plekhanov’s classic On the Role of the Individual in History.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/georgi-plekhanov-s-classic-on-the-role-of-the-individual-in-history/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) [Explore all 716 Ray Dalio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. 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. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People who run companies are faced with important choices every day. How they make those choices determines the character of the company, the quality of its relationships, and the outcomes it produces.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ray Dalio" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with-important-choices-every-day/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with-important-choices-every-day/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/ray-dalio-299_business_people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with_1785894.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/ray-dalio-299_business_people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with_1785894.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/ray-dalio-299_business_people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with_1785894.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People who run companies are faced with important choices every day. How they make those choices determines…” — Ray Dalio", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ray Dalio", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“People who run companies are faced...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with-important-choices-every-day/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/people-who-run-companies-are-faced-with-important-choices-every-day/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```