Howard Schultz > Quotes

“Grow with discipline. Balance intuition with rigor. Innovate around the core. Don't embrace the status quo. Find new ways to see. Never expect a silver bullet. Get your hands dirty. Listen with empathy and overcommunicate with transparency. Tell your story, refusing to let others define you. Use authentic experiences to inspire. Stick to your values, they are your foundation. Hold people accountable, but give them the tools to succeed. Make the tough choices; it's how you execute that counts. Be decisive in times of crisis. Be nimble. Find truth in trials and lessons in mistakes. Be responsible for what you see, hear, and do. Believe.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“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.

This is the kind of passionate conviction that sparks romances, wins battles, and drives people to pursue dreams others wouldn’t dare. Belief in ourselves and in what is right catapults us over hurdles, and our lives unfold.

“Life is a sum of all your choices,” wrote Albert Camus. Large or small, our actions forge our futures and hopefully inspire others along the way.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. Their foundations are stronger because they are built with the strength of the human spirit, not an ad campaign. The companies that are lasting are those that are authentic.”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others think possible. Care more than others think wise.”
― Howard Schultz

“Mass advertising can help build brands, but authenticity is what makes them last. If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“In times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we're made of.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“Authentic brands don't emerge from marketing cubicles or advertising agencies. They emanate from everything the company does...”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“One of the fundamental aspects of leadership, I realized more and more, is the ability to instill confidence in others when you yourself are feeling insecure”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“People want guidance, not rhetoric. They need to know what the plan of action is, and how it will be implemented. They want to be given responsibility to help solve the problem and authority to act on it.”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“If you examine a butterfly according to the laws of aerodynamics, it shouldn't be able to fly. But the butterfly doesn't know that, so it flies”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“Remember: You'll be left with an empty feeling if you hit the finish line alone. When you run a race as a team, though, you'll discover that much of the reward comes from hitting the tape together. You want to be surrounded not just by cheering onlookers but by a crowd of winners, celebrating as one.”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“When we love something, emotion often drives our actions.

This is the gift and the challenge entrepreneurs face every day. The companies we dream of and build from scratch are part of us and intensely personal. They are our families. Our lives.

But the entrepreneurial journey is not for everyone. Yes, the highs are high and the rewards can be thrilling. But the lows can break your heart. Entrepreneurs must love what they do to such a degree that doing it is worth sacrifice and, at times, pain. But doing anything else, we think, would be unimaginable”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“My passion. My commitment. This is the most important thing in my life other than my family.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“For more than three decades, coffee has captured my imagination because it is a beverage about individuals as well as community. A Rwandan farmer. Eighty roast masters at six Starbucks plants on two continents. Thousands of baristas in 54 countries. Like a symphony, coffee's power rests in the hands of a few individuals who orchestrate its appeal. So much can go wrong during the journey from soil to cup that when everything goes right, it is nothing short of brilliant! After all, coffee doesn't lie. It can't. Every sip is proof of the artistry -- technical as well as human -- that went into its creation.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“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 right and best thing to do. We refuse to be bystanders, even if we do not know exactly where our actions will lead.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“To stay vigorous, a company needs to provide a stimulating and challenging environment for all these types: the dreamer, the entrepreneur, the professional manager, and the leader. If it doesn't, it risks becoming yet another mediocre corporation.”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“Early on I realized that I had to hire people smarter and ore qualified than I was in a number of different fields, and I had to let go of a lot of decision-making. I can't tell you how hard that is. But if you've imprinted your values on the people around you, you can dare to trust them to make the right moves.”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“For all the promise of digital media to bring people together, I still believe that the most sincere, lasting powers of human connection come from looking directly into someone else's eyes, with no screen in between.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, . . . begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. —GOETHE”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“There's a metaphor Vincent Eades likes to use: "If you examine a butterfly according to the laws of aerodynamics, it shouldn't be able to fly. But the butterfly doesn't know that, so it flies.”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“Work should be personal. For all of us. Not just for the artist and entrepreneur. Work should have meaning for the accountant, the construction worker, the technologist, the manager and the clerk.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others think possible.”
― Howard Schultz

“To be an enduring, great company, you have to build a mechanism for preventing or solving problems that will long outlast any one individual leader.”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“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.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“There is a word that comes to my mind when I think about our company and our people. That word is 'love.' I love Starbucks because everything we've tried to do is steeped in humanity.

Respect and dignity.
Passion and laughter.
Compassion, community, and responsibility.
Authenticity.

These are Starbucks' touchstones, the source of our pride.

Valuing personal connections at a time when so many people sit alone in front of screens; aspiring to build human relationships in an age when so many issues polarize so many; and acting ethically, even if it costs more, when corners are routinely cut--these are honorable pursuits, at the core of what we set out to be.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“Every step of the way, I made it a point to underpromise and overdeliver. In the long run, that's the only way to ensure security in any job.”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“When you’re in a hole, quit digging!”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“But the reasons against going to New Orleans--that spicy southern city known for jazz and Mardi Gras and hospitality--were the very reasons we had to go.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“Life is a sum of all your choices,” wrote Albert Camus. Large or small, our actions forge our futures, hopefully inspiring others along the way.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

“when we love something, emotion often drives our actions.”
― Howard Schultz