Inspirational Quotations by Sam Walton (American Entrepreneur)

Sam Moore Walton (1918–92) was an American businessman and entrepreneur. He started Walmart and built it into one of the world’s largest retailers and, in the process, became the richest American.

Born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, Walton was a product of the Great Depression of the 1930s. After graduating with a degree in economics from the University of Missouri, Walton started his retailing career with the J. C. Penney Company in Des Moines, Iowa. He served in Army Intelligence Corps during World War II. After the war, he joined his brother to pool their savings, got a $25,000 loan, and bought a Ben Franklin store in Newport, Arkansas. When his landlord failed to renew his lease in 1950, Walton moved to Bentonville, Arkansas, now Walmart’s headquarters. Walmart operated Ben Franklin stores under the name Walton’s Five and Dime stores. In 1962, he founded Walmart’s first store in Rogers, Arkansas, five miles from Bentonville.

Walton oversaw all aspects of his stores. He was constantly searching for ways to serve his customers better and frequently walked around competitor’s stores to educate himself. By 1970, Walton had 25 Walmart stores and took the company public. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he expanded nationwide and turned to new retailing formats, including Sam’s Wholesale Clubs and Walmart Supercenters.

Walton’s stores averaged an annual growth rate of more than 35 percent for more than a decade—Walmart morphed into the fastest growing and most influential force in the retail industry. In the process, Walton became one of the richest men in the world.

Despite his wealth, Walton lived a modest life in Bentonville. He enjoyed riding around in his pickup truck, eating breakfast with friends at a local diner, and attending potluck suppers at the Presbyterian Church. Even when he was diagnosed with an incurable bone cancer, he continued to lead an active life, rising every day before dawn.

Walton’s bestselling autobiography Sam Walton, Made in America (1992) explains how he revolutionized shopping and transformed consumer shopping patterns across the United States.

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