“Great companies that build an enduring brand have an emotional relationship with customers that has no barrier. And that emotional relationship is on the most important characteristic, which is trust.”

My parents really wanted me to get out of New York, be exposed to other people, other ways of life.

Europe has always represented a major strategic opportunity to achieve our goal of creating and building an enduring global brand.

We have no patent on anything we do and anything we do can be copied by anyone else. But you can’t copy the heart and the soul and the conscience of the company.

In life, you can blame a lot of people and you can wallow in self-pity or you can pick yourself up and say listen, I have to be responsible for myself.

The hardest thing about being a leader is demonstrating or showing vulnerability. And that has a lot to do with trust.

When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.

This may sound a bit naive, but I got here by believing in big dreams.

Always challenge the old ways.

We are witnessing a seismic change in consumer behavior. That change is being brought about by technology and the access people have to information.

I never wanted to be on any billionaires list. I never define myself by net worth. I always try to define myself by my values.

Whatever you do, don’t play it safe. Don’t do things the way they’ve always been done. Don’t try to fit the system. If you do what’s expected of you, you’ll never accomplish more than others expect.

If you pour your heart into your work, or into any worthy enterprise, you can achieve dreams others may think impossible.

People around the world, they want the authentic Starbucks experience.

The premium single-cup segment is the fastest-growing business within the global coffee industry.

Believe in your dreams and dream big. And then after you’ve done that, dream bigger.

The challenge of the retail business is the human condition.

Use every customer point of contact to weave stories about who you are and what your brand stands for.

If you’re making art, you are not separate from your brand.

The brands that can connect with client in a real way will win.

The key in telling stories that people relate to is, not surprisingly, vulnerability and authenticity. That means that letting people know the struggle behind your brand – the failures and mistakes – and how you got through them is really important.

Every employee can affect your company’s brand, not just the front-line employees that are paid to talk to your customers.

What’s the best way to build a brand for the long term? In a word: culture.

From the last tears of sorrow emerged the brand new love.

Your brand is your culture.