Henry Ford

1863–1947 · American industrialist

Henry Ford (1863–1947) founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and, with the moving assembly line and the Model T, brought the automobile within reach of ordinary Americans. A relentless, hands-on problem-solver, he cultivated a public image as a plain-spoken tinkerer — which is exactly why brisk, fix-it aphorisms like this one attach so easily to his name. Many sayings pinned to Ford, however, cannot be traced to anything he actually wrote or said.

Traced to source

4 quotes we’ve traced to Henry Ford

“Don't find fault, find a remedy”

Attributed

“Any man who thinks he is going to be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him should take a close look at the American Indian”

Disputed

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”

Disputed

“Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time”

Disputed

Not actually Henry Ford

Often misattributed to Henry Ford

Famous lines widely pinned on Henry Ford that we’ve traced to someone else.

“If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got”

actually Jessie Potter (leading candidate)

“My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me”

actually Harris Weinstock

“The horse is here to stay, but the automobile is only a novelty — a fad”

actually An unnamed “leading banker”

On the research bench

Commonly pinned on Henry Ford — under review

1 line flagged as pinned on Henry Ford and queued for a full source trace — not yet verified.

“It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.”

Disputed

Did they really say it?

Thought Henry Ford said something else?

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