Michael Ovitz Quotes

#1. The human condition is not perfect. We are not perfect specimens, any of us. We're not robots.

Michael Ovitz

#2. I must say that in my early years, I was incredibly aggressive. I was working as hard as I could to build a business, to try to dominate a business. And I probably irritated a lot of people.

Michael Ovitz

#3. A lot of drive is innate, self-perpetuated, reinforced energy. As a kid, I could always sell anything I could get my hands on - from newspapers to lemonade to 'TV Guide.' I knew how to make a presentation.

Michael Ovitz

#4. I'm not good at being static. I have to be climbing a mountain.

Michael Ovitz

#5. I believe sometimes I make some mistakes. And I don't think they are life-threatening mistakes.

Michael Ovitz

#6. Football is the No. 1 sport in America.

Michael Ovitz

#7. When I was at U.C.L.A., I worked my way through school as a tour guide at Universal Studios, and I came in contact with a lot of people in the agency business.

Michael Ovitz

#8. The unknown is always interesting.

Michael Ovitz

#9. I'm not one to speak about myself. I like to speak about the people around me.

Michael Ovitz

#10. I have never run a public company. I spent my entire life working for a private company.

Michael Ovitz

#11. I learned my first lesson at the Walt Disney Company about not being able to trust my associates.

Michael Ovitz

#12. When I get on a plane, I don't want a laid-back pilot. I want a pilot who is a control freak, who is paying attention to every single detail of his job.

Michael Ovitz

#13. The Internet is the greatest thing that ever happened to the entertainment industry.

Michael Ovitz

#14. Hollywood is a small, familial place. Everyone does business with everybody else. The same complications occur in investment banking.

Michael Ovitz

#15. I'm interested in what's new. I'm interested in change. I'm interested in a different game in life.

Michael Ovitz

#16. I've always made my decisions based on two factors: intellectual analysis and my gut. And when they meet, that's a go from me. That's when I see the goal.

Michael Ovitz

#17. It's not about money. The money will flow. It's about power and influence.

Michael Ovitz

#18. My whole life has been about risk and reward.

Michael Ovitz