10 Powerful Quotes of Johann Rupert – South Africa’s Richest Man

Johann Peter Rupert, is a South African entrepreneur, former cricketer, and conservationist.

Born on June 1, 1950, Johann Rupert has grown to become one of the most successful business moguls in South Africa and Africa at large. He sits as the chairman of a Swiss-based luxury-goods company known as Remgro.

Aside from that, Johann is the CEO of Compagnie Financiere Richemont. As a conservationist, Rupert has taken part in conserving 25,000 acres in the Graaff Reint area. Over and above that, he is the chairman of the Peace Parks Foundation.

The South African – born entrepreneur has received some of the most coveted awards in the cooperate industry. In 1999, he was awarded the Free Market Award by the Free Market Foundation. An Honorary Doctorate in Economics was also awarded to Rupert by the University of Stellenbosch in 2004. Besides being made the Honorary Vice President of the European Golf Tour in 2010, he was also awarded the Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of St Andrews, Scotland.

Over the past decades, Rupert has shared his vast knowledge with young entrepreneurs looking forward to achieving success in the corporate ladder.

Here are 10 Powerful Quotes of Johann Rupert

1. Trends carry on forever, until they stop. I want to be around after things come to a standstill. As a result, I tend to be pretty conservative.
2. I don’t want to start producing dressing gowns and cuff links with the Purdey name stamped on them. Making Purdey the leading gunmaker is our number one priority. Once we have succeeded in doing that, then we might look at some accessories, but it is a long haul.
3. It is not just disposable income but whether people feel good about their immediate future that drives sales. It is this feel-good factor that drives the purchases more and more than mere economic wealth.
4. I want to be master of my own time. It is ironic that someone in the watch business should not be in control of his time.
5. When I tell my colleagues that I remember 1969, 1974, and 1977, their eyes glaze over, but I’m afraid I do remember them, and I therefore err on the side of the caution.
6. They (grandparents) were driven, they studied like crazy and saved like crazy. They didn’t go and buy BMWs and hang around at Taboo and the sand all the time okay? I hear this narrative that Madiba was a sell – out, it’s disrespectful because I don’t see your age group call me ou topie. I don’t see you age group go to jail for two nearly three decades, no you’ll miss the sands.
7. Let’s not fall into the trap of Zimbabwe….Everything looked well on paper but things played on the grass.
8. If everybody had to be as good as Madiba or Mother Theresa, yes, then socialism could have worked. But people are not that giving. People are not that nice. People act in their self-interest.
9. Governments can’t create jobs. If government could create jobs, there wouldn’t be unemployment anywhere. It’s small and medium enterprises (that create jobs), but in order to do that we need to cut the red tape.
10. The best entrepreneurs that I’ve met in my life all have a touch of paranoia and not a lot of hubris. They always worry that someone is gonna eat their breakfast while they’re sleeping