It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.

It takes a lot of time, effort, and hard work to build your house of success, but it doesn’t take long to tear it down. This quote pretty much means that if you went over because of something you did formerly, the second time you have to come up with an even better idea, project, work etc, otherwise a huge stain is going to mark your excellent reputation. You have to think things twice before you take another step, since it may turn out to be the worst decision ever made.