Frank Lowy Quotes

120 Frank Lowy Quotes (Westfield Quotes)

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[On his father being sent to Auschwitz] Once father was taken away my childhood ended. I was never a child again. In a sense I became more like a father to my mother. My days were spent scheming about how to live, eat and survive.
Frank Lowy

I learned to value the small transactions as well as the large.
Frank Lowy

Never give up! People don’t understand how persistent you have to be. You come up against an obstacle and you have to find a way of moving forward. You take detours, navigate between the obstacles and make it happen. Unless you are very strong and convinced you can succeed, you will be swept away.
Frank Lowy

In many ways, being successful in business is not different from being a successful sportsman.
Frank Lowy

I don’t think it’s a secret that migrants often come to a new country with great ambition and hunger to succeed.
Frank Lowy

The philosophy I shared… was one of ambition – ambition to succeed, ambition to grow, ambition to move forward – backed up by hard work.
Frank Lowy

Australia is a new country – and that’s what’s great about it. It’s adaptive to change because it doesn’t have the tradition of hundreds of years before…
Frank Lowy

I think you could say a mix of knowledge, opportunity and a willingness to learn as we went, is how Westfield was born.
Frank Lowy

I was always looking for ways around the barriers, and always felt that I could get around them, and overcome challenges, but of course not without a great deal of effort.
Frank Lowy

Invincible is never how I felt, but optimistic… yes.
Frank Lowy



Yes, we made some bad business decisions… well, who hasn’t?
Frank Lowy

It’s hard to single out particular decisions as ‘the best’, because I think in many instances of success, it is usually because of a series of steps – not just one fork in the road.
Frank Lowy

[On luck] Compared to hard work, luck has …very, very little to do with it.
Frank Lowy

[On success] The basis of success is that you put everything that you have in there, and if you do that I think you will succeed.
Frank Lowy

We were building assets continually, very good assets, and cashflow was quite good, but the value of the assets was growing far faster than the cashflow. So we kept borrowing against the assets. To grow, we had to borrow more and more and the balloon was getting bigger and bigger.
Frank Lowy

[On his channel 10 tv station investing mistake] I was prepared to do anything for success. I lost my sense of proportion. It happened because failure is something I cannot accept.
Frank Lowy

That’s were our inexperience really showed and they exploited that. Had it been a shopping centre deal or another commercial transaction, it would have been different. No one can put anything over us in that business, because we know that business.
Frank Lowy

It’s better for us to be concentrating on the highly successful business we have in owning, developing and managing shopping centres than pursuing other interests.
Frank Lowy

You can push the envelope but only so far. I know some people believe in sticking to your knitting but if I took that literally I would still be running a delicatessen in Blacktown. There is a limit to just how much you stick to your knitting.
Frank Lowy

[On purchasing channel 10] We made one major error and then compounded it. We paid too much, we chased products, we paid too much for the products, we based our revenues on increased ratings so that we spent the money and then the ratings didn’t come in. On top of this, we did not have the right management.
Frank Lowy



I drive myself and spare no effort. It is sheer slog that allows for no laziness of mind or body. I allow myself no latitude and give up all comforts, day and night, until I achieve the goal.
Frank Lowy

[When he encounters impressive opposition, he invites the individual to be part of his team on the next deal] He gave us such a hard time that I wanted him on our side so that he would be able to do to others what he had done to us.
Frank Lowy

[Reflecting on Westfield being a listed company] If I had my time again, and had the resources, I would stay private.
Frank Lowy

Now prior to buying anything, I insist on doing extremely detailed due diligence.
Frank Lowy

In our business there are no surprises because we deal with them everyday and very early.
Frank Lowy

While you can own a very good office block, once it is tenanted there is not much you can do with it. But a shopping centre is organic. You can shift it, squeeze it, mould it to the current needs of the consumer. It’s a living, breathing entity.
Frank Lowy

Landlords… use their high bargain position to extract as much rent as possible from retailers without actually sending them broke.
Frank Lowy

[From Apollo 13] FINAO – ‘Failure is not an option.’
Frank Lowy

[On philanthropy] I don’t give thoughtlessly. The fact that philanthropy is lauded is not sufficient reason for me to give. When I give, I want the gift to be meaningful. Personally, I need to know it is serving a purpose.
Frank Lowy

The journey was very, very hard. I think I could have achieved it with less pain by being less intense, less insecure and less anxious. Many say the struggle goes with the territory, that it is a package, but I am not certain that is correct. I compare it with swimming. Years ago, it was a struggle for me to swim ten lengths. I could do it but it was an exhausting, uncoordinated effort. Then I had lessons and discovered how painless it could be. Now I swim those lengths and more with ease.
Frank Lowy



We wanted to keep control of the company, but still make it grow and have a sound financial base. There was a huge value in the company, so the question was how to unlock it.
Frank Lowy

Many times we got stymied but we were determined and kept boring ahead until all the issues were resolved. And eventually they were.
Frank Lowy

[On an early Westfield deal] We must have looked a sign, arriving at Sydney airport unshaven, dishevelled and with crumpled shirts, but we were propelled by adrenalin and the knowledge that if the money was not in the bank by noon, the whole project could fall apart.
Frank Lowy

Jet-lagged and exhausted, we went from one institution to another. We were anxious because the stokes were very high. The whole company’s existence was at stake.
Frank Lowy

[As a child during World War II ] I was always listening to what was said to make sure we could survive. I don’t remember having any friends.
Frank Lowy

When I remember my mother’s unhappiness, having lost so many dear to her, that reinforces the view that the family unit is so precious that no effort should be spared to keep it together, with all it’s flaws.
Frank Lowy

[On initially moving to Palestine from Czechoslovakia] I felt I was leaving a place to which I did not belong for a much brighter future.
Frank Lowy

The sea was rough and I was seasick and very, very lonely. I was fifteen and felt frightened and homesick. There was little food or water on board. I remember one night I was overcome with loneliness and cried. The boat was creaking and I didn’t know if we would get there. I felt very insecure but couldn’t seek comfort from anyone. We all had problems. My crying was silent; it was all internal. I missed mother very much.
Frank Lowy

One moment we were standing on the open decks looking at Haifa full of hope. Next we were in the grey hull of a British warship, feeling fearful and uncertain.
Frank Lowy

[On an early job working in a bank] I worked with a huge old adding machine with a crank handle and if I made a mistake I’d have to start all over again. I remember working in extremely hot conditions, banging away at the adding machine, sweat pouring off me.
Frank Lowy



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