Elon Musk quotes

Elon Musk is a South African-born entrepreneur and engineer, known for founding Tesla, SpaceX, and several other innovative companies. His ventures focus on advancing sustainable energy, space exploration, and cutting-edge technology. He is recognized worldwide as one of the most influential inventors and visionaries of the 21st century. Here are 214 of his quotes:

When Henry Ford made cheap, reliable cars people said, 'Nah, what's wrong with a horse?' That was a huge bet he made, and it worked.

Elon Musk

I don't spend my time pontificating about high-concept things; I spend my time solving engineering and manufacturing problems.

Elon Musk

Even if there's a zombie apocalypse, you'll still be able to travel using the Tesla Supercharging system.

Elon Musk

I could either watch it happen or be a part of it.

Elon Musk

There is nothing inherently expensive about rockets. It's just that those who have built and operated them in the past have done so with horrendously poor efficiency.

Elon Musk

Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.

Elon Musk

Starting and growing a business is as much about the innovation, drive and determination of the people who do it as it is about the product they sell.

Elon Musk

We need to figure out how to have the things we love, and not destroy the world.

Elon Musk

It is a mistake to hire huge numbers of people to get a complicated job done. Numbers will never compensate for talent in getting the right answer (two people who don't know something are no better than one), will tend to slow down progress, and will make the task incredibly expensive.

Elon Musk

I think we have a duty to maintain the light of consciousness to make sure it continues into the future.

Elon Musk

A good sign as to whether there is free speech is, "Is someone you don't like allowed to say something you don't like?"

Elon Musk

I like to be involved in things that change the world. The Internet did, and space will probably be more responsible for changing the world than anything else. If humanity can expand beyond the Earth, obviously that's where the future is.

Elon Musk

In terms of the Internet, it's like humanity acquiring a collective nervous system. Whereas previously we were more like a... collection of cells that communicated by diffusion. With the advent of the Internet, it was suddenly like we got a nervous system. It's a hugely impactful thing.

Elon Musk

We're adding a triple sign-off for all work done on the launch pad, on flight components, and flight critical GSE. You have a technician, a responsible engineer, and then quality assurance will sign the final, record all information, and take photographs of all the work that was done, and then make sure that all information is put into our quality assurance database, which is reviewed prior to launch.

Elon Musk

SpaceX's got 5,000 people. I get a lot of attention, but they are really doing the work.

Elon Musk

Sending large numbers of people to explore and settle Mars in the decades ahead isn't inevitable, but it is entirely possible. The biggest challenge isn't the engineering and spacecraft, however difficult they may be. Instead, it's making sure that a sustained Mars campaign proceeds as a national priority, and that will happen only if the American people are behind it. We have the opportunity now to make this happen. We might not be so fortunate in the future.

Elon Musk

AI is much more advanced than people realize. ... Humanity's position on this planet depends on its intelligence so if our intelligence is exceeded, it's unlikely that we will remain in charge of the planet.

Elon Musk

They [Apple] have hired people we've fired. We always jokingly call Apple the "Tesla Graveyard." If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I'm not kidding.... cars are very complex compared to phones or smartwatches. You can't just go to a supplier like Foxconn and say: Build me a car. But for Apple, the car is the next logical thing to finally offer a significant innovation. A new pencil or a bigger iPad alone were not relevant enough.

Elon Musk

All designs are wrong, it's just a matter of how wrong.

Elon Musk

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

Elon Musk

Some people don't like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.

Elon Musk

For all the supporters of Tesla over the years, and it's been several years now and there have been some very tough times, I'd just like to say thank you very much. I deeply appreciate the support, particularly through the darkest times.

Elon Musk