Niki Lauda Quotes

Happiness is an enemy. It weakens you. Suddenly, you have something to lose.

A lot of people criticize Formula 1 as an unnecessary risk. But what would life be like if we only did what is necessary?

I've been through a lot and I realise the future can't be controlled. I'm not worried. You can always learn to overcome difficulties.

Really, you should always discuss the defeats because you can learn much more from failure than from success.

Don't talk too much, be focused on the goal and achieve it.

You appreciate that it is very easy to die and you have to arrange your life to cope with that reality.

From success, you learn absolutely nothing. From failure and setbacks conclusions can be drawn. That goes for your private life as well as your career.

A race isn't won until it's over.

Vienna is the gate to Eastern Europe.

To make a decision you need to be in a perfect environment: you have to be motivated and surrounded by the right people.

Giving up is something a Lauda doesn't do.

Jean Todt's system will never succeed, not even with Michael Schumacher.

The less you talk, the more time you have for the essential things.

You have a brake in your brain that stops you doing stupid things. The older you are, the earlier that brake comes on. When you're 20 you stop at nothing; when you're older you're cleverer than when you're 20, so your brain brake operates more often!

I was not interested at all in Formula One when I left; I was very busy with my airline. But slowly I started missing the adrenaline rush and the driving of such fantastic cars at the limit. In reality this urge never disappears when you're a top driver, because I think we're a different breed of people, we need to take chances, we need to push ourselves to the limit all the time, that sort of thing. It stays with you, although you can kill it by losing motivation or other things in your life, but it never leaves you forever.

I employ 20 people in Vienna. The other 130 coworkers are pilots and flight companions. The Overhead is limited with me. Reduces naturally the costs of my fliers.

Airlines go in the long run at the competition to reason. For the passenger the competition is good, because each competitor tries to undercut the other one.

I maintain that the maxim is still to be faster than the others.

Taking your first title is much more complicated and more difficult; it takes years of work - from go-kart to Formula One. The second comes more easily, because you've already got the experience.

Whenever there is discussion, I make it clear that I do not want any grey zones, just black and white.

Whenever I see something that challenges me, I take it on.

Business is much less transparent than a win in a Grand Prix; in a race you drive over the finishing line first and you have won. In business it is different.

I see myself as the mind of the business which takes care of every last detail; if you do not do this you cannot be fast enough.

To be honest, it is boring to talk about winning.

I always go extreme ways.

You must always be faster and better than the others.

This aircraft tops everything. All the others look old as compared to this one.

Running an airline is a normal job. Racing is more.

If you are a straightforward racing driver you should always see your limits. You have to be objective and not come up with any bullshit.

When you have something in black and white, you can deal with it quicker.

You must always aim for further growth.

In Germany air became generally accepted Berlin in this area. It operated with 45 airplanes within the Low Cost range from Germany, and is one the most successful carriers in Europe.

The crucial point is always the own cost structure. Therefore I created a Low Cost alliance with air Berlin.

The air travel industry moves into a new phase every five to six years.

When you have the chance to fight for victory or a podium finish, you have the motivation to push that extra bit out of yourself.

I am someone who places great value on the detail. That was always the case, even in my days as a racing driver.

Sebastian [ Vettel] can also learn to be more laid-back. It's never too late to learn. He's got some way to go. He's young and will turn out well. I'm not worried about that. He'll raise the bar ever higher.

It was the same with Schumacher: the need for the adrenaline rush, to push himself to the limit was always there. So without a Formula One car to race with he went on to do motorcycle racing and other stupid things, and obviously that wasn't enough to keep him happy, so he had a problem to sort out and returning to racing was his answer to the problem.

If you are for a long time at the top you've basically achieved everything you wanted to. Then the ball's breaking stuff starts to be too much: it's not what you do in the car, it's what you do outside the car - the press conferences, the interviews, the sponsorship commitments, the marketing appearances - that sadly go up to a level that the whole package, including the risks you take, the workload you do to get the car to work and for you to be quick in the races, it becomes too much.

The alliance with air Berlin is attractive for me. I can use the whole sales network of the air Berlin and 24 percent of my own airline at air Berlin sold.

I see myself as a classic middle market entrepreneur, and this is the role I fulfil.

I always want to know whether the customers are satisfied; customer satisfaction is, after all, my ultimate goal!

Grey zones do not interest me at all.

When things change a lot, some guys handle the change better than others, but that doesn't mean the guys that take longer to get the hang of things are suddenly slow drivers!

I want to bring passengers on my airplanes to present to them my product.

My experience enables me to select the very best pilots in the market.

Ultimately, an aircraft owner does not want to have to deal with all the intricate details which are necessary for the business.