Carlos Slim Helu is one of the wealthiest people in the world, with a net worth of $73 billion as of March 2013. He made his money through his conglomerate “Grupo Carso.” Mr. Helu is presently CEO and chairman of Telmex and América Móvil, two Mexican telecom firms. Let’s read about him before checking the Carlos Slim Helu Quotes below.
Slim was born on January 28, 1940, in Mexico City. His father taught him the fundamentals of business at a young age. Slim bought shares in a bank by the time he was 12 years old. He began working for his father’s firm when he was 17 and earned 200 pesos per week.
He studied civil engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico before teaching linear programming and algebra there. He began his career in trading and subsequently established a brokerage business called Inversora Bursatil. The company grew over time.
Slim recalled the advice his father had given him, and as his company expanded, he maintained a modest standard of living with his family. He invested the profits back into other firms.
Mexico’s economy went into a severe recession in 1982, but Slim’s optimism did not waver. During this time, he acquired several more firms, and his fortune increased dramatically as the economy stabilized. He also bought numerous insurance companies and integrated them to form Seguros Inbursa, among other things.
Slim didn’t pass up a single chance to increase his assets. Slim has been described as a “ruthless” businessman, but he is also known for his philanthropy. He has donated billions of dollars to charitable causes, and in 2010 he was named the world’s second most generous person by Forbes magazine. Despite his huge wealth, Slim lives a relatively simple life.
| Name | Carlos Slim Helú |
| Born | 28 January 1940 (age 82 years) |
| Place of Birth | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Occupation | Businessman, investor, philanthropist |
| Organizations founded | Fundación Carlos Slim, Grupo Carso, MORE |
| Awards | Entrepreneurial Merit Medal of Honor in 1985 from Mexico’s Chamber of Commerce, Commander in the Belgian Order of Leopold II, Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1994, CEO of the year in 2003 by Latin Trade magazine, and many more. |
Carlos Slim Helu Quotes
To think that happiness comes from buying things is crazy.
You have to have an international reference of competition. You have to go beyond your home.
I spend most of my time studying new technologies.
My main task is to understand what’s going on and try to see where we can fit in.
To think that happiness comes from buying things is crazy.
What is most valuable in life does not cost anything but is very precious.
The biggest things in life are not materials.
Life’s road is very long, but it is travelled fast.
Firm and patient optimism always yields its rewards.
When you give, do not expect to receive, fragrance clings to the hand that gives the rose.
If you’re in business, you need to understand the environment. You need to have a vision of the future, and you need to know the past.
Wealth should be created by investing to create more wealth. Income is the fruit of wealth. If you do not do that, you will not have more income.
Mistakes are normal and human. Make them small, accept them, correct them, and forget them.
Technology is going to transform people’s lives and society everywhere in the world.
If you are in business, you are not enjoying it. You are working.
I don’t believe too much in luck, believe in circumstances and in work.
When we face our problems, they disappear. So learn from failure and let success be the silent incentive.
Distribute a good part of the fruits, not the branches of the tree, and ‘reinvest’ part of the fruit sees to grow more trees and create wealth.
Best Carlos Slim Helu Quotes
Do not allow negative feelings and emotions to control your mind.
Be practical, and have clear and attainable goals.
If you’re in business, you need to understand the environment. You need to have a vision of the future, and you need to know the past.
All businesses make mistakes. The trick is to avoid large ones
Don’t overwork your employees, make sure that they’re able to maintain a healthy work/life balance.
Live the present intensely and fully, do not let the past be a burden, and let the future be an incentive. Each person forges his or her own destiny.
When there is a crisis, that’s when some are interested in getting out and that’s when we are interested in getting in.
Mistakes are normal and human. Make them small, accept them, correct them, and forget them.
Invest prodigiously in your business, especially when others aren’t investing in theirs, and do so for the long-term.
Focus on the essentials, and try not to get distracted and bogged down by things that don’t add anything of value to the bottom line.
Don’t try to be and do everything yourself; rather, create alliances and partnerships with others.
Don’t stay local, go global.
Relish competition, and understand that it’s healthy and will make you and your business stronger.
Choose the right employees and then set them loose.
Any personal crisis—you have to use it to get stronger.
I learned from my father that you continue to invest and reinvest in your business – including during crises.
People need to feel very good about their achievements. They get pride from what they are doing.
All businesses make mistakes. The trick is to avoid large ones.
Anything that has privileges has a responsibility and all people that is clear about their responsibility have compromise.
When you are convinced what to do and what you need to do, it’s not hard to do that.
Competition makes you better, always, always makes you better, even if the competitor wins.
When you live for others’ opinions, you are dead. I don’t want to live thinking about how I’ll be remembered.
Anyone who is not investing now is missing a tremendous opportunity.
All times are a good times for those who know how to work and have the tools to do so.
Poverty isn’t solved with donations.
Success is not about doing things well or even very well, or being acknowledged by others.
Most people try to make a better world for our children when what they should be doing is making better children for our world.
Well, when I was very young, maybe 12 years, I began to make investments.
Firm and patient optimism always yields its rewards.
Money is not a goal. The goal is to make companies grow, develop, be competitive, be in different areas, be efficient to have a great human team inside the company.
Be optimistic, and not guided by your fears.
The only way you finish with poverty is with jobs.
Top 10 Carlos Slim Helu Quotes
In this new wave of technology, you can’t do it all yourself, you have to form alliances.
It’s very important for leaders in business to work to create human capital, a team that has the same sense of purpose and alignment.
Work well done is not only a responsibility to yourselves and society; it is also an emotional need.
Choose the right employees and then set them loose.
You cannot live without doing something.
When we decide to do something, we do it quickly.
You cannot have people in your organization who are pessimists. They take you to mediocrity.
Courage taught me no matter how bad a crisis gets… any sound investment will eventually pay off.
Focus on essentials and try not to get distracted and bogged down by things that don’t add value to the bottom line.
When we face our problems, they disappear. So learn from failure and let success be the silent incentive.
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Wrapping Up: Carlos Slim Helu Quotes
Carlos Slim received various business-related teachings from his father as a youngster, including finance, management, and accounting. His father also trained him in essential abilities like reading financial statements and keeping good financial records.
Carlos Slim Helú is the chairman and CEO of Telmex and América Móvil, two of Mexico’s largest telecom firms. He has a net worth of more than $7 billion and has been compared to Warren Buffett and Bill Gates for being the world’s wealthiest people.
