Running a business can be difficult, and good business people know to look for inspiration from everyone and everything around them.  As they say, life imitates art, so what better place to look for inspiration than the silver screen?  

Recently, The Washington Post asked entrepreneurs what movie quotes offered the best insight to running a business.  You can see the whole slideshow here, but some of the highlights include:

“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.” - Bull Durham

“You have to be ready for the peaks and valley, the wins and losses, but you also have to keep your mind nible and ready to react to the unexpected.” – TJ Jackson, president and chief executive of Buffalo Supply Inc.

"Take the red pill or the blue pill.” – The Matrix

“All small business owners have big decisions to make.  Many can have a huge impact, and many need to be made quickly.  Be prepared: Plan in advance…the ‘red pill’ may be the easy way out, but the ‘blue pill’ could have huge returns.” – Rochelle Balch, owner of RP Balch & Associates

“Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads” – Back to the Future

“On the surface, this quote represents a future technological achievement that is hidden to the current generation.  Entrepreneurs, however, can see the deeper meaning because they make their own roads outside of what society has paved for them.” – Dmitriv Katsel, founder of AdU Network

In the spirit of summer blockbuster season, we decided to pull our five favorite quotes about running a business.

"Hey, I don't have all the answers.  In life, to be honest, I failed as much as I have succeeded." - Jerry McGuire

Every entrepreneur has moments of being afraid that the business won’t succeed, but failure is an important part of doing business and a fact of life.  It’s through trial and error that good ideas become great.  If your product or services doesn’t succeed, use that as a learning opportunity for next time.

“Do or do not, there is not try.” –Star Wars

One of the things that sets successful entrepreneurs and business people apart is their drive to succeed.  They do not “try” to change the world, but rather (to borrow from one of America’s great companies) they “just do it.”

“You find out life is a game of inches, so is football. Because in either game – life or football – the margin for error is so small. I mean, one half-a-step too late or too early and you don’t quite make it. One half second too slow, too fast and you don’t quite catch it.” – Any Given Sunday

Like football, business is all about competition.  Being better than your competitor, even if it’s by a tiny margin, makes the difference when it comes time for your customer to choose.

“The driver has to work harder than anyone.  He’s the first to show up, and the last to leave.  When his buddies are all out drinking beer, he’s up in his room studying pictures of the turns.” – Cool Runnings

Lots of people work hard, but what makes an entrepreneur stand out is their willingness to worker harder, even if the goal is light years away. Their mind is always on their work, wherever they are.

“My only real motivation is not to be hassled – that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.” – Office Space

Good employees are vital to run a successful business.  It’s important to keep them interested and motivated, or your products and services will suffer.  

What movie quotes have inspired you?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.