Michael Dell quotes:

You don't have to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream.

Today the world lost a visionary leader, the technology industry lost an iconic legend and I lost a friend and fellow founder. The legacy of Steve Jobs will be remembered for generations to come. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the Apple team.

The interesting thing is when we design and architect a server, we don't design it for Windows or Linux, we design it for both. We don't really care, as long as we're selling the one the customer wants.

Our business is about technology, yes. But it's also about operations and customer relationships.

Every breakthrough business idea begins with solving a common problem. The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity. I discovered a big one when I took apart an IBM PC. I made two interesting discoveries: The components were all manufactured by other companies, and the system that retailed for $3,000 cost about $600 in parts.

The world got enamored with smartphones and tablets, but what's interesting is those devices don't do everything that needs to be done. Three-D printing, virtual-reality computing, robotics are all controlled by PCs.

The speed of the Internet provides a fundamentally different perspective on how business relationships occur ... The approach relies on collaboration, not on competition ... on sharing information, and understanding what we as businesses do best.

People ask me all the time, 'How can I become a successful entrepreneur?' And I have to be honest: It's one of my least favorite questions, because if you're waiting for someone else's advice to become an entrepreneur, chances are you're not one.

If we have 99% [market] share of Ford Company, the question to us is 'How do we improve the customer satisfaction in order to get that additional 1% share?

The customer reaction to Dell going private has been a lot more positive than I would have ever imagined. Customers see it as - 'You don't have to be distracted. Now you can totally focus on your business.' So they see it as a positive.

It's through curiosity and looking at opportunities in new ways that we've always mapped our path at Dell. There's always an opportunity to make a difference.

I have no doubt that in the future, wearable devices like Fitbit will know my blood pressure, hydration levels and blood sugar levels as well. All of this data has the potential to transform modern medicine and create a whole new era of personalized care.

Real entrepreneurs have what I call the three Ps (and, trust me, none of them stands for 'permission'). Real entrepreneurs have a 'passion' for what they're doing, a 'problem' that needs to be solved, and a 'purpose' that drives them forward.

There are a lot of things that go into creating success. I don't like to do just the things I like to do. I like to do things that cause the company to succeed. I don't spend a lot of time doing my favorite activities.

Ideas are commodity. Execution of them is not.

Dell will participate in tablets and all sorts of client devices. Our main business is helping our customers secure, protect their data and access it from any device they want to.

Dell's a company that has changed the IT landscape in making PCs and servers more affordable. There's enormous opportunities to make IT more accessible to tens of millions of companies, kind of democratizing the ability for companies to gain access to IT.

Wearable devices are here to stay, and they'll only get more sophisticated and effective as they evolve. Until now, most of us have made our health and fitness decisions based on what we think we know about ourselves. Advancements in technology - wearables and otherwise - will eventually take much of the guess work out of healthy living.

Don't spend so much time trying to choose the perfect opportunity, that you miss the right opportunity.

Recognize that there will be failures, and acknowledge that there will be obstacles. But you will learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others, for there is very little learning in success.

We've found that customers are very open. They'll tell you what's going on, what's working and what's not. They're looking for help.

There are a lot of new things going on in the microprocessor world, including increased focus on power and efficiency.

We were always focused on our profit and loss statement. But cash flow was not a regularly discussed topic. It was as if we were driving along, watching only the speedometer, when in fact we were running out of gas.

From the time I was 7, when I purchased my first calculator, I was fascinated by the idea of a machine that could compute things.

If you're happy, that's probably the most important thing. Everyone probably has their own definition of success, for me it's happiness. Do I enjoy what I'm doing? Do I enjoy the people I'm with? Do I enjoy my life?

The key is to listen to your heart and let it carry you in the direction of your dreams. I've learned that it's possible to set your sights high and achieve your dreams and do it with integrity, character, and love. And each day that you're moving toward your dreams without compromising who you are, you're winning.

By questioning all the aspects of our business, we continuously inject improvement and innovation into our culture.

If you have to go through life being unhappy to conform to society around you, that's not a very good deal.

I do think a founder has special permission to make sweeping changes across an organization.

One of the things I benefited from when I started this business was that I didn't know anything. I was just instinct with no preconceived notions. This enabled me to learn and change quickly without having to worry about maintaining any kind of status quo, like some of my bigger competitors.

We are all gifts to each other, and my own growth as a leader has shown me again and again that the most rewarding experiences come from my relationships.

Computing shows up in many different ways. You have computing that you wear, computing that you carry. What you think of as the traditional PC market has a long tail of usage, particularly in the commercial world, but also in consumer.

Productivity is grounded in the PC. Where does the computing power come from? How would you run 'USA Today' without PCs? Run a hospital without PCs? People don't want products, they want solutions.

I started the business with a simple question: How can we make the process of buying a computer better? The answer was: Sell computers directly to the end customer. Eliminate the reseller's markup and pass those savings on to the customer.

If you want to sustain excellence over a long time, you'd better come up with a system that works well. Anyone can sprint for a little while, but you can't sprint for forty years.

Sometimes it's better not to ask-or to listen-when tell you something can't be done. I didn't ask for permission or approval. I just went ahead and did it.

I've been fascinated with technology since I was a boy banging around on my father's adding machine. Back then I'd type in an equation, the device made some cool noises, and out came my answer. I was hooked.

There are many different kinds of PCs. You have fixed, virtual, tablets, notebooks, ultrabooks, desktops, workstations. What you find in commercial PCs, business PCs, is that there's a really long tail of usage on client devices.

If you think about computing, there isn't just one way to compute, just like there's not just one way to move around. You can have shoes, you can have a car, you can have a bicycle, submarine, rocket, plane, train, glider, whatever. Because you have one doesn't mean you get rid of another one... But PCs continue to be important.

In taking Dell private, we plan to go back to our roots, focusing on the entrepreneurial spirit that made Dell one of the fastest-growing and most successful companies in history.

I always knew I wanted to run a business someday.

Americans are known for their strength, fortitude, and generosity in times of need. We encourage people in the U.S. and everywhere to give with their hearts, reach out to these victims, and donate what they can to the relief efforts.

Anything that can be measured can be improved

Celebrate for a nanosecond.

Collaboration equals innovation.

Don't be afraid to fail. Get out there and experiment and learn and fail and get a rate based on the experiences you have. Go for it and when you go for it you'll learn what you're capable of, what the potential is, where the opportunities are, but you can't be afraid to fail because that's when you learn.

Each day that you're moving toward your dreams without compromising who you are, you're winning

I believe that you have to understand the economics of a business before you have a strategy, and you have to understand your strategy before you have a structure. If you get these in the wrong order, you will probably fail.

I had to give it a full go and see what happened.

I started Dell 28 yrs ago with $1000. Revenues in 1984 were $6 million. Last year $62.1 billion. Impossible is nothing.

If you don't have jobs, it's hard to have other things like health and education.

If you look at innovation, it doesn't just occur in the lab.

Ignore the people who tell you it won't work, and hire people who embrace your vision.

I'm a big believer in online communities and in user-generated content.

I'm pretty active anyway, but I'm also competitive.I used my Fitbit as an example of the innate power of data to turn information into insights and actions.

It had always made sense to me to build a business based on what people really wanted, rather than guess what we thought they might want.

It's easy to decide what you're going to do. The hard thing is deciding what you're not going to do.

It's exciting to see how fast your kids learn and grow. I'm not too worried about them, particularly the ones who like to break rules and don't follow instructions; those are the ones that will do just fine because they know what's important to them.

One of the things was to create a kind of amnesty environment.

Regrets are born of paths never taken.

The idea of being all things to all people is a thing of the past.

The key to using the Internet to extend and build relationships is to view ownership of information differently-you need to bring customers inside your business to create information partnerships ... relationships become the differentiator, more than products or services. Businesses become intertwined.

The point is, you can't keep doing the same thing and expect it to keep working.

The very thing you fear could be the best thing to ever happen to you

There is no better catalyst to success than curiosity.

There's always an opportunity to make a difference

Try never to be the smartest person in the room. And if you are, I suggest you invite smarter people "¦ or find a different room.

Try never to be the smartest person in the room. And if you are, I suggest you invite smarter people or find a different room. In professional circles it's called networking. In organizations it's called team building. And in life it's called family, friends, and community. We are all gifts to each other, and my own growth as a leader has shown me again and again that the most rewarding experiences come from my relationships.

Twenty years and $40 billion. They seem like good round numbers.

Visionaries have the unique ability to dream of what's possible and then make it a reality. We are excited to watch these visionaries use technology to help students develop skills in collaboration, critical thinking and teamwork that they'll need to compete in the global economy.

Whether you've found your calling, or if you're still searching, passion should be the fire that drives your life's work.

With the understanding that you will face tough times and amazing experiences, you must also commit to the adventure. Just have faith in the skills and the knowledge you've been blessed with and go.

You can't be afraid to fail because that's when you learn.

You just have to change. To be successful, what you have to do is have an acceptance of risk and you have to be pretty explicit about that, because if you don't accept risk, you don't get any innovation. And that means part of risk is you have to accept failure because not everything works.