We say the things we believe, even when sometimes those things we believe are delusional.40
When you’re building a radically new product, people don’t know they want it yet, because it’s just not in their scope. Around 1946–1948, when they first started making TVs, they did a famous nationwide survey: “Will you ever buy a TV?” and around 96 percent of respondents said, “No.”41
In the beginning of Tesla, no one told us they wanted an electric car…I heard that zero times.42
If you need encouragement, don’t start a company.43
Getting people to believe in you and what you’re doing is important. In the beginning, very few people will believe in you or what you’re doing. Over time, as you make progress, evidence will build. More and more people will start to believe.