Editors Quote by Richard Branson
“So I became a publisher by mistake - well, not quite by mistake, because I wanted to be an editor but I had to make sure the magazine would survive. The point is this: Most businesses fail, so if you're going to succeed, it has to be about more than making money.”
About This Quote
Success requires purpose beyond profit, especially when many ventures fail.
In simple terms: Businesses need meaning, not just money.
Key Takeaway
Focus on mission over profit.
Themes
entrepreneurship
purpose
failure
Mood
determined
optimistic
Type
advice
philosophical
When to use this quote
- startup launch
- pivot planning
- team building
- market research
Key Concepts
business ethics
mission‑driven strategy
sustainability
Questions to Reflect On
- What core purpose drives your venture?
- How will you measure success beyond revenue?
A Different Perspective
Profit pressure can dilute purpose.
![“My very first venture was a national student magazine to try to campaign against the [Vietnam] War. And so I wanted to be an editor. I wanted to bring the magazine out. And in order for the magazine to survive I had to worry about the printing and the paper manufacturing and the distribution. And…” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/675/richard-branson-256_campaigns_my-very-first-venture-was-a-national-stu_83658.jpg)
![“I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests with ZERO-G [a charter-flight service in Arlington, Va., that uses modified Boeing 727s to simulate weightlessness], which went great.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa1/richard-branson-256_adventure_i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-repl_903.jpg)
![“I walked all around it [the Guggenheim Bilbao] and couldn't find one clear, clean shot. To make things worse, the weather was lousy. Nothing about this rang commercial money shot. In a situation like this there's only one thing to do: forget about pleasing editors, please yourself.” quote by Robert Polidori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/375/robert-polidori-55002_clean_i-walked-all-around-it-the-guggenheim-bi_9097.jpg)
