18 Ursula Burns Quotes for You to Enjoy

Ursula Burns

American Businesswoman

Born: Sep 20, 1958

Good Mother People Think Work You

Crankiness is a human attribute that, when people walk in the door of Xerox, they remain human. The best way to get the best out of people is to not force them to be something other than they naturally are. Now what do they have to be? They have to be respectful. You can't be ridiculously disrespectful. Ursula Burns

Best You People Walk Other Way Respectful Out Best Way Something Remain Force Xerox Attribute Than Get Human Door Them Naturally Ridiculously Now Disrespectful

Long time ago, people would make the Bible, right? The guy said it, somebody wrote it down. And then if you wanted another copy of it, another human being wrote another one. It took a long, long time. Somebody created this thing called mimeograph paper and so you said, 'OK, we'll do it that way.' And so you could get three of them. Ursula Burns

Time You Bible People Human Being Three Somebody Long Long Time Down Took Way Paper OK Would Guy Could Long Time Ago Wrote Make Another Said Get Human Being Wanted Them Then Created Right Thing Copy

Unlike people, companies outlive their founders and their leaders. Ursula Burns

People Unlike Outlive Leaders Companies Founders

My mother was amazing. I guess, in our community, if you wanted to get by you had to work hard. So she cleaned offices. She did everything that you could imagine. We were really poor. But she would say, 'Where you are is not who you are.' Ursula Burns

Work You Work Hard Mother Amazing Community Guess Our Everything Our Community Say Would Could Cleaned Had She Were Get Did Offices Where Wanted Poor Really Hard Who Imagine

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. Ursula Burns

Day You Every Day Problem World Water Opportunities Example Every Solved Something Something New Dirty Could New For Example Make Because Does Been Anyone Full Why

Impatience is a virtue. Ursula Burns

Virtue Impatience

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

You Game Guilt Every Kids Ourselves Pretty Volleyball Resilient

I went to an all-girls Catholic high school. The three things that they focused on were reading, writing, and arithmetic. My goodness, this is a novel idea in this modern society. I was really good at all three of these things. I was particularly good at math. Ursula Burns

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. Ursula Burns

Xerox is really good at managing documents, and we're definitely good at managing through a process. Ursula Burns

Good Definitely Through Xerox Documents Managing Process Really

Xerox manages the infrastructure of E-ZPass for a large number of states. So when you say E-ZPass, and get some bill from E-ZPass, or call and ask a question about E-ZPass, you're talking to a Xerox person. Ursula Burns

You Say States Some About Call Xerox Talking Question Person Get Infrastructure Ask Bill Large Large Number Number

I don't think paper will go away. I do believe that the value of paper will change, and Xerox is working on changing that value. Consider a color page. Actual life is in color, but you keep reproducing it in black and white. You remove value. It's a bad thing to do. Ursula Burns

Life You Change Will Value Black Black And White Remove Go Away White Believe Think Changing Consider Paper Bad Color Bad Thing Xerox Go Reproducing Working Page Keep Away Actual Thing

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. Ursula Burns

Good Citizen Responsibility Reputation Believe Added Benefit Corporate I Believe Negotiating Responsibilities About Concerned Just Being Whether Less Company