I have just read  Richard Branson's  book - "Screw it,Let's do it" which I found pretty amazing. Some of the quotes from that book are:

"I believe in myself. I believe in the hands that work, in the brains that think, and in the hearts that love"
"Hard-won things are more valuable than those that come too easily."
"Never do anything if it means you can’t sleep at night.’ It’s a good rule to follow."


The story of Richard Branson  goes as follows:

-At the age of 5 he had a bet with his aunt, that he will learn to swim during  vacation,which he did it.

-At age of 9,he starting selling Christmas trees.

-He was not good at studies so he started STUDENT magazine at the age of 15.The first check he received was of 250 pounds.

-Once he was travelling to Virgin island's,the flight was delayed,so he hired a plane and sold tickets @29$/person.This is where he got the idea of VIrgin Airlines.

-He has travelled in hot air ballon from Japan to Canada.

-He is the founder of Virgin groups which consist of 400 companies and some of them are Virgin airlines,Virgin records and Virgin books.

To know more about him, follow the links :

http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/biography

http://www.forbes.com/profile/richard-branson/

http://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/10-top-richard-branson-business-tips-part-one