Charles Revson Quotes

110 Charles Revson Quotes

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[On a Revlon executive saying ‘I gave it to my wife to try and in my opinion…’] What would you know about it?
Charles Revson

What’s the matter with you, Beatie – are you getting old and soft in the head?
Charles Revson

You stupid, f*cking idiot.
Charles Revson

You idiot!
Charles Revson

[To his brother Joseph Revson] Joseph do you know what’s going on in that factory of yours?
Charles Revson

You treat your girl like a sister.
Charles Revson

Now, as to this thing about owning people, that’s bullsh*t. I don’t own my people. Why, I just hired a guy – fantastic, a real professional manager, just came in a few months ago. I don’t follow him at all – I don’t even know what he did last week. I don’t own him. Jay, call… and have him get his ass on down here.
Charles Revson

Kiddie, tell him I don’t own you.
Charles Revson

This is where the hookers hang out. You learn a lot from what they buy.
Charles Revson

This is Charles Revson. Do you know who I am?
Charles Revson



Charles Revson, Charles Revson – don’t you know who I am? Where’s your boss?
Charles Revson

Get rid of that girl…
Charles Revson

In terms of marketing you’ve got to have the will to win. You’ve got to see the blood running down the street. You’ve got to be able to take it. You’ve got to be able to shove it. If you’ve not, you’re nobody. You never will be. You think you are? Fine. Love it. Go on-have happiness, have love, have this, have everything. But as far are marketing is concerned [which is the thing that really counts] – nyenta. Nothing.
Charles Revson

[On taking consumer phone calls especially if you had a Revlon lipstick that smeared but not if you were a bank president, supplier or advertising executive] The reason I talk to them, is that they are the real boss.
Charles Revson

Honest fiction. Now, what does that mean? There is honesty about publicity? But there has to be a basis of fiction about it, otherwise it’s not readable.
Charles Revson

[In 1949 on being one of the few guys who could give a really good manicure with nailpolish] Yes, I learned how to put it on for demonstration – still can. To this day, I try colors on myself. When you gotta learn, you gotta learn.
Charles Revson

Dumb schmuck, that’s not the business.
Charles Revson

I used to sell bullsh*t. I used to walk around – I didn’t have anything, didn’t even know where I was gonna eat. I used to walk into a store and sell some bullsh*t, and walk out of the store and say, ‘Hey that’s pretty good.’ So I went back and bought the bullsh*t back for more than I sold it for so I could use it again to sell it for even more than I paid for it.
Charles Revson

[In 1934] I started my sales talk by showing the prospect how to apply our cream nail polish, then a new type. Before the week was out, I was teaching beauty shop operators and clerks how to demonstrate and use the polish. That group grew so big I had to rent the booth next to ours, and that additional space made my exhibit larger than our entire plant.
Charles Revson

[On being told by the Manager of the beauty salon at Marshall Field & Company that they must be a pretty big company] Not as large as we hope to be.
Charles Revson



[In the early days whilst praying that Joseph Revlon would be able to live up to that promise] Our shipping department has never had to miss a shipping date yet.
Charles Revson

The first time I saw her she had the wrong shade of lipstick. She needed an education…
Charles Revson

I’m never going to get married, I’m never going to get married. [Married three times]
Charles Revson

[To his new bride] Which would you rather: skiing or a mink coat?
Charles Revson

You got into it, you started with it, you gotta go through with it.
Charles Revson

Are you a socialist? You know, when you get orders from top management, your job is to carry them out. It looks like you and I are not going to get along at all.
Charles Revson

[On the high employee turnover at Revlon] Does that mean that thirty-five people will leave next week too?
Charles Revson

The thing that has ruined companies is when looseness sets in. You got to keep tight at the ass. The day we get soft, we’ll go down fast.
Charles Revson

[To a new receptionist who wouldn’t let him see the sign-in list] Do you know who I am? [‘No, sir, I don’t.’] Well, when you pick up your final paycheck this afternoon, ask ‘em to tell ya.
Charles Revson

Look at these goddamn people. We give them turkey’s and look what they do to us.
Charles Revson



Are you a Commie?
Charles Revson

Look, all of us can’t write. All of us are not endowed with the ability to write. All of us don’t know how to put the words together. But at the least – the very, very least – all of us who are connected with marketing, regardless of what, should try to learn what they are and become editors, at least, of worlds.
Charles Revson

I would like to see an ad that would be an answer to all the publicity going on that Italian women are the most exciting women in the world.
Charles Revson

Who wrote this crap?
Charles Revson

I wasn’t considered a genius. I never was an outstanding success from the day I went to work. I never had any whatever it is. The only thing you can say about me is that if I have something to do, I’ll learn everything about it – that I will.
Charles Revson

You don’t have a look. Any woman has to have a look. The Duchess of Windsor has a look, and like it or not, it’s a look.
Charles Revson

[On going up to women he didn’t even know giving suggestions] Excuse me, but if I may make a little criticism…
Charles Revson

Why do you wear your hair that way?
Charles Revson

She’s going to have a double chin in ten years.
Charles Revson

[On being sent forty different types of orchids and saying ‘Charles, that’s just about the most vulgar thing I ever saw in my life!’] Well, I didn’t want to send you the money…
Charles Revson



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