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Gwynne Shotwell Quotes

14 quotes from Gwynne Shotwell — President and COO of SpaceX..

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“You can't be on the cusp of innovation and at the forefront of technology if you're wearing blinders. If you don't have an exploration program where you're exploring your world here on Earth, underwater, and in space, then you're wearing blinders and handicapping yourself.”

Innovation

“The one accomplishment that we have that I am most proud of is helping to get our country flying astronauts again on American-made rockets and spaceships.”

— Northwestern University commencement, 2021Achievement

“We are not giving all of our children an education that will shape them into resourceful and productive people that our country needs to remain relevant. Every child is a resource to better our future and our future will be driven by technology.”

— Northwestern University commencement, 2021Education

“Aim high. We have always achieved what we wanted to, never in the timeline. We fail on timeline, but that feels like the right fail to make as oppose to not achieving what you are trying to achieve technically.”

— Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2022Perseverance

“You face adversity and I think the only way to get through it is to understand the situation and then be honest with yourself. Pick a path and do it and don't be afraid to say you made a mistake, if you make a mistake.”

— Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2022Leadership

“Aim high. We have always achieved what we wanted to, never in the timeline. We fail on timeline, but that feels like the right fail to make as opposed to not achieving what you are trying to achieve technically.”

— Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2022Ambition

“I loved what she was doing, and I became an engineer because of her.”

— CNBC interviewInspiration

“I think it's important to be as public as I can afford to be and to hopefully inspire women to join me in this incredible field.”

— CNBC interviewEmpowerment

“Thank goodness I took that risk because I almost didn't. In fact, when Elon asked me to be President in 2008, I almost didn't say yes. What a mistake that would have been.”

— Gwynne Shotwell, Stanford GSB, 2022

“If you put aside the pandemic and you look through a very narrow lens at SpaceX — in my 19 years of SpaceX, 2020 was our most extraordinary year.”

— Gwynne Shotwell, Via Satellite, 2021

“Elon Musk… one of the most important decisions he made, as a matter of fact, is he picked a president named Gwynne Shotwell. She runs SpaceX. She is excellent. And so I have no concerns.”

— Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator, to NPR

“Take risks with your career, for sure. Don't take the safe path, because then you'll wind up with a safe career.”

— Gwynne Shotwell, LMU Seaver Spotlight, 2018

“Now is not the time for SpaceX to be complacent. There's no place for complacency when you're doing that kind of work.”

— Gwynne Shotwell, Via Satellite, 2021

“I think Elon wants to retire on Mars. I'm not interested in Mars. I don't like camping, and I think it will be a long time before Mars is nice enough — probably not in my lifetime.”

— Gwynne Shotwell, Baron Conference, 2024

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Gwynne Shotwell

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Gwynne Shotwell

President and COO of SpaceX.