I have just read Richard Branson's book - "Screw it,Let's do it" which I found pretty amazing. Some of the quotes from that book are:
"I believe in myself. I believe in the hands that work, in the brains that think, and in the hearts that love"
"Hard-won things are more valuable than those that come too easily."
"Never do anything if it means you can’t sleep at night.’ It’s a good rule to follow."
The story of Richard Branson goes as follows:
-At the age of 5 he had a bet with his aunt, that he will learn to swim during vacation,which he did it.
-At age of 9,he starting selling Christmas trees.
-He was not good at studies so he started STUDENT magazine at the age of 15.The first check he received was of 250 pounds.
-Once he was travelling to Virgin island's,the flight was delayed,so he hired a plane and sold tickets @29$/person.This is where he got the idea of VIrgin Airlines.
-He has travelled in hot air ballon from Japan to Canada.
-He is the founder of Virgin groups which consist of 400 companies and some of them are Virgin airlines,Virgin records and Virgin books.
To know more about him, follow the links :
http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/biography
http://www.forbes.com/profile/richard-branson/
http://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/10-top-richard-branson-business-tips-part-one