We have nothing but gratitude for the opportunity we have had here, and any other response would be ridiculous, irresponsible and a lie. It is that simple. I owe China; China doesn't owe me.
Steve Wynn
Money doesn't make people happy. People make people happy.
If you run a business, if you are responsible for a lot of people, you come to grips with the reality that you have to have discipline. You have to protect the enterprise in order to take care of the employees. So, therefore, you can't be wasteful. You can't squander things, or you jeopardize other people.
Capital structure isn't an eyeshade economic thing: It's about your ability to protect your workforce and your service levels.
The most impressive person I've ever met? Elaine Wynn is no slouch. She's a much better person than me. But I've got her. Finders keepers, losers weepers. And it's been forty-seven years.
I am a self-made brat.
What we know about the destination resort business is clearly established. But it's all about one thing, and one thing only. All of the razzmatazz and jazz we hear about facilities and everything else doesn't amount to a hill of beans. It's customer experience that determines the longevity and endurance of these enterprises.
I went public in 2002 in America, and do you know what Wall Street valued my concession in Macau at? Zero.
We recruit our people for personality. We look for the people person, with innate warmth, sweetness, and intelligence. These are the people who are sending your message out to the customers and potential customers, so we recruit for personality first and foremost.
I had a disc giving me a lot of trouble, and I had four surgeries. Then I had a staph infection, so they had to open me up five times in four months... It was in the bottom of my back, the same incision. They should have put a zipper on it.
If I complain about a traffic jam, I have no one to blame but myself.
Keeping customers is about the experience, and the employees control the culture and temperature of the business. Never forget that.
'Le Reve' may be one of the three best pictures Pablo Picasso ever painted.
Did we not all grow up saying we had to have four glasses of whole milk a day for healthy bones? It's ridiculous. It's liquid cholesterol.
What's the most fetching thing that provokes people? A volcano? Fountains that dance? A pirate ship that sinks? Some other animated device or presentation? Is that as strong as mystery? Allure, intrigue, is much more powerful... It taunts you.
It's very difficult to explain to a normal working citizen the implications of what $18 trillion in debt means and what it means when the Federal Reserve buys the U.S. Treasury bonds to finance our loss every month.
Nevada Energy doesn't lose money. The gaming industry loses money. It employs all the people. It pays all the taxes. And if you take the P&L, the profit and loss, of the hotels in Las Vegas and Reno, it is a number that is minus, not plus, minus.
Keep a strong balance sheet, don't get over-leveraged, and try to protect the security of your employees.
I thrive in competitive environments. I've never been in a monopoly.
The pent-up demand for the good life in China is extraordinary.
I am so focused on the fact that the conversation doesn't address any of the things I think are important. I think our political dialogue in America is distorted and completely off track.
The minute you do any layoffs, you might as well lay off the whole joint because everybody forgets about the customer and worries about their job security.
I say don't overreact; cool your jets. Focus on things that you can control: your business, your employees' welfare, your guests, and the quality of the product that you dish up. Do that, keep your chin down, pay attention to business, and the sun will come up tomorrow. That's the way I figure it.
And those of us who have business opportunities and the capital to do it are going to sit in fear of the President. And a lot of people don't want to say that. They'll say, God, don't be attacking Obama. Well, this is Obama's deal and it's Obama that's responsible for this fear in America.
Money is a way of expressing no compromise.
Casino gambling is colorful and dramatic and theatrical.
Getting things straight in your head is a major achievement because there's so much clutter out there. You've got to push aside the static to really hear the music.
I'm killing two birds at once, so to speak. Animal-based food kills people. This way, by going vegan... we get healthy and save animals. I'm being selfish, too, because if I can get my employees healthier, we cut down on sick days and gain more productivity.
This generation... they have a different attitude. Instead of sitting and watching something, they want to be a part of it - they're very hedonistic and sensual.
When you hear a politician say 'fair share,' you are talking about hypocritical political propaganda. You are not talking about an intelligent discussion of who is paying what and who isn't paying taxes.
I don't play computer games. What I do is yell at my secretary and say, 'Go on the Internet, and find this or that.'
If you don't have a voice that forces you back to basics, you're a dangerous person. Or to put it another way: You're at risk, and the people with you are at risk. I'm not a daredevil. I don't fly without a safety net.
I've changed my will to show my concern for animal rights.
You watch television and see what's going on on this debt ceiling issue. And what I consider to be a total lack of leadership from the President and nothing's going to get fixed until the President himself steps up and wrangles both parties in Congress.
Other people's successes are good news - for them and for you. Good for you because they show you a way to go.
You can't discuss Macau in any logical conversation. It will distort any reality.
The guy keeps making speeches about redistribution and maybe we ought to do something to businesses that don't invest, their holding too much money. We haven't heard that kind of talk except from pure socialists. Everybody's afraid of the government and there's no need soft peddling it, it's the truth. It is the truth.
Managing China is a daunting task, and they've got smart people doing it.
My organization, my colleagues and I, are paid to run hotels in good times and fair times. We're professionals. That's what we do. I don't give a damn about the short-term market implications.
I've become an animal rights activist.
No one has any idea what's next... the uncertainty of the business climate in America is frightening, frightening to everybody, and it's delaying the recovery.
Donald calls me and asks me what I think. Very often I will answer him, but Donald Trump is his own adviser. He is his own campaign manager.
Rich people only like being around rich people.
The government of Macau, of China, has been empirical and pragmatic and has brought hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, a feat unequaled in the history of civilization in any country.
I support Democrats and Republicans. And I'm telling you that the business community in this company is frightened to death of the weird political philosophy of the President of the United States. And until he's gone, everybody's going to be sitting on their thumbs.
You need to build a place that is a touristic destination that brings in people from outside the region.
I've never had difficulty dominating any market I've been in.
I'll trade glib for common sense any day.
Most people I know that are successful have a few things in common that are undeniable: driving ambition, and they have applied that to something they're good at, that they love doing... and they are fun to be around, especially when they're talking about their passion.
Government has never increased the standard of living of one single human being in civilization's history. For some reason that simple truth has evaded everybody.
