20 quotes on getting started from history's greatest minds

As many a world-changer will likely tell you, the motivation to get started with a new idea is half the battle for a fledgling entrepreneur. Any new creation - whether it’s a business, artwork, or novel - is going to take some guts to get up and running. Take some inspiration from the pros.

You may have all sorts of show-stopping doubts in the beginning - is my idea good enough? Would anyone want to buy it? Can I even pull this off? That is normal. The important thing is to take action if you really believe in something (it’s an attitude we measure at Fingerprint for Success… the highly entrepreneurial talent of initiation).

If your initiation could do with some support, soak up some inspiration from these famous folks who know all about the mammoth task of initiating:

20. “Don't let perfectionism become an excuse for never getting started.” - Marilu Henner

19. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” –  Arthur Ashe

18. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar

17. “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” - Karen Lamb

16. "Action is the foundational key to all success." - Pablo Picasso

15. "A barking dog is often more useful than a sleeping lion." - Washington Irving

14. “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs.” - Vance Havner

13. “We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.” - Calvin Coolidge

12. “An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.” ― Arnold Glasow

11. “Action is the antidote to despair.” ― Joan Baez

10. “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.” - John F. Kennedy

9. “I like to think of ideas as potential energy. They're really wonderful, but nothing will happen until we risk putting them into action.” - Mae Jemison

8. “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.” - Conrad Hilton

7. “An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.” - Jack Welch

6. “You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.” - Tony Robbins

5. “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” - Norman Cousins

4. “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” - Joel A. Barker

3. “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” - Dale Carnegie

2. “Action speaks louder than words, but not nearly as often.” -  Mark Twain

1. “Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it.” - Jules Renard