When we began Starbucks, what I wanted to try to do was to create a set of values, guiding principles, and culture.
Success is best when it is shared.
People in Washington need to put their feet in the shoes of working Americans.
Starbucks being an extension of peoples home and work. The sense of community, human connection. That appears to be as relevant in Turkey, China, Japan and Spain as it is here in America. And Starbucks I think is creating something for people all over the world that has not existed before.
Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.
The world belongs to the few people who are not afraid to get their hands dirty.” I.
Infusing work with purpose and meaning, however, is a two-way street. Yes, love what you do, but your company should love you back.
But my story is as much one of perseverance and drive as it is of talent and luck. I willed it to happen. I took my life in my hands, learned from anyone I could, grabbed what opportunity I could, and molded my success step by step. Fear of failure drove me at first, but as I tackled each challenge, my anxiety was replaced by a growing sense of optimism. Once you overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, other hurdles become less daunting.
I’ve said often that every enterprise and organization has a memory. And those memories create a path for people to follow.
I can be a bit romantic about history, but I’m also pragmatic about the present. America cannot, of course, have open borders. We need a clear, sustainable immigration policy, one that better manages the flow of people who do not pose a threat and can contribute to our economy and culture. Immigration laws can be sensible without extinguishing the idea that brought so many here and compels so many to stay.
The point of a coffee store was not just to teach customers about fine coffee but to show them how to enjoy it.
Starbucks has always been about so much more than coffee. But without great coffee, we have no reason to exist.
One of the terrible tragedies, for me, was the fact that my father passed away before he could witness what I achieved.
The best ideas are those that create a new mind-set or sense a need before others do, and it takes an astute investor to recognize an idea that not only is ahead of its time but also has long-term prospects.
There are moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make choices that go against reason, against common sense and the wise counsel of people we trust. But we lean forward nonetheless because, despite all risks and rational argument, we believe that the path we are choosing is the right and best thing to do. We refuse to be bystanders, even if we do not know exactly where our actions will lead.
A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received. – ALBERT EINSTEIN.
I could not allow us, or myself, to drift into a sea of mediocrity after so many years of hard work.
I’ve never thought of the third place just as a physical environment. For me, the third place has always been a feeling. An emotion. An aspiration that all people can come together and be uplifted as a result of a sense of belonging. This is the cornerstone of our business, yes, but “belonging” is also a basic human right, which should be afforded all members of a society.
Less than 1 percent of our population have served our military abroad since the September 11, 2001, attacks. Add their direct family members, and they still amount to less than 5 percent of the nation. Most Americans have no skin in the game.
In the course of the year I spent trying to raise money, I spoke to 242 people, and 217 of them said “no.
History shows that silence is unforgivable, for it gives bigotry license. And when meek words masquerade as moral courage, they are perceived as indifference and give the worst of human nature permission to flourish.