52 Quotes by Ursula Burns

My mother raised us to think that if we worked hard, and if we put our end of the bargain in, it would work out OK for us.

My perspective comes in part from being a New York black lady, in part from being an engineer. I know I'm smart and have opinions worth being heard.

I'm a black lady from the Lower East Side of New York. Not a lot intimidates me.

Kids are pretty resilient. You don't have to be at every volleyball game. We can't guilt ourselves.

Unlike people, companies outlive their founders and their leaders.

I'm less concerned about whether being a good corporate citizen burnishes a company's reputation. That's just an added benefit. I believe it's a responsibility, and there is no negotiating on responsibilities.

The world is full of opportunities - every day there's something new that you can do. For example, you could make dirty water potable. Why does anyone not have potable water? Because it's a problem that hasn't been solved yet, but it can be.

I want to stop transforming and just start being.

CEOs resign when the internal dynamics of the company and the external dynamics of the company actually come together to say it is appropriate. When the internal dynamics ask you whether you have a replacement. I think the transition from CEOships have also become cartoonish.