The Business of
FPSOs, Shuttle Tankers and Peter Lovie

On pioneering a new venture
from Italy:

Machiavelli

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand,
More perilous to conduct,
Or more uncertain in its success,
Than to take the lead in the introduction
of a new order of things

Machiavelli

"The Prince", Chapter 6, 1513

On patents and intellectual property
from England:

Rudyard Kipling

Steel and the first expansions. It paid, I tell you, it paid,
When we came with our nine-knot freighters and collared the long-run trade!
And they asked me how I did it; and I gave 'em the Scripture text,
"You keep your light so shining a little in front o' the next!"
They copied all they could follow, but they couldn't copy my mind,
And I left 'em sweating and stealing a year and a half behind.

Rudyard Kipling

From The "Mary Gloster" written in 1894 about a shipowner competing in world trade.

On American competitiveness  
from The United States:

Vince Lombardi

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. 

Unfortunately, so is losing. There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Vince Lombardi 1913-1970

U.S. professional football coach for Green Bay Packers, 1959-1967.  In two seasons transformed losing team into consistent league winners.  Inspiring leader, never had a losing season in his career.

On Risk
The Petroleum Industry's Song?
from "The Gambler"

Kenny Rogers

You got to know when to hold 'em,
Know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away,
Know when to run . . . .

Kenny Rogers

Born August 21, 1938. An American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur.

Play the song

On Sticking with it

Winston Churchill

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

Never, never, never give up.

Winston Churchill

On Imagination

Albert Einstein

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution

Albert Einstein

What Life Means (1920)

On Keeping On Keeping On

Harry Lauder

Every road through life is a long, long road,
Filled with joys and sorrows too,
As you journey on how your heart will yearn
For the things most dear to you.
With wealth and love ’tis so,
But onward we must go.

Chorus:

Keep right on to the end of the road,
Keep right on to the end,
If the way be long, let your heart be strong,
Keep right on round the bend.
If you’re tired and weary still journey on,
Till you come to your happy abode,
Where all you love that you’re dreaming of
Will be there at the end of the road.
With a big stout heart to a long steep hill,
We may get there with a smile,
With a good kind thought and an end in view,
We may cut short many a mile.
So let courage every day
Be your guiding star always.

Harry Lauder

Keep right on to the end of the road” By Harry Lauder (1870-1950)

Play the song