It’s that time of year when we feel like everyone could do with a boost. Summer is being its usual fickle self and the workload is on overdrive. It’s times like these where coffee and cake and casual-dress Fridays just won’t cut it.

Yes, that’s right. It’s time for some inspirational quotes from some of the greatest business minds out there.

This week we’re looking at what the Men have to offer but keep an eye out for our Top Women’s quote blog coming soon.

And yes, fictional people count.

Richard Branson

There’s no way you can write about business wisdom and not mention Branson. Here’s a few of our favourites:

• “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”
• “Don’t become a slave to technology – manage your phone, don’t let it manage you.”
• “A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.”
• “Chance favours the prepared mind. The more you practice, luckier you become.”
• “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

Bill Gates

Another top dog in business whose pearls of wisdom we could all do with hearing:

• “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”
• “Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.”
• “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
• “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”

David Brent

It’s controversial but we truly think Brent had some solid advice now and then:

• “An amateur will stitch up a professional.”
• “I actually like my staff to be better than me. That keeps me on my toes. So, my motto would be ‘Be careful because there’s always somebody ready to step into your shoes and do your job better than you do it.”
• “Does a struggling salesman start turning up on a bicycle? No, he turns up in a newer car - perception, yeah? They got to trust me - I'm taking these guys into battle, yeah? And I'm doing my own stapling.”

Mark Zuckerberg

We couldn’t not add Zuckerberg; the guy just has a lot going for him:

• “The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”
• “I feel that the best companies are started not because the founder wanted a company but because the founder wanted to change the world... “
• “Move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough.”

Now if that hasn’t inspired you to take the working week between your teeth and go for gold on all your projects then we don’t know what will. Remember we’ll be looking at the best quotes from the Women in the not so distant future too so sit tight!