verified

When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.

Verified

Confirmed by our editorial team.

We traced this quote to a primary published source and confirmed the words are genuinely the author's. You can cite it with confidence.

Source

Elon Musk, interviewed by Scott Pelley on CBS 60 Minutes, “SpaceX: Entrepreneur’s race to space,” June 20, 2012.

Translations

MORE QUOTES BY Elon Musk

“With artificial intelligence, we are summoning the demon. In all those stories where there...”

Elon Musk

“Entrepreneurship is like eating glass and walking on hot coals at the same time.”

“Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up.”

“When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars people said, 'Nah, what's wrong with a horse?' T...”

FEATURED QUOTES

“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength.”

“If you're watching your competitors, you're unlikely to invent a bunch of stuff on your own.”

“The first wealth is health”

“You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It's a goldfish. You know why? It's got a 1...”

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

“I don’t count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re...”

“Any product that needs a manual to work is broken.”

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutel...”

“Inhale the future, exhale the past”