“In the vast majority of businesses, there is simply no such thing as “the best.””

The essence of strategy is that you must set limits on what you’re trying to accomplish.

Good leaders need a positive agenda, not just an agenda of dealing with crisis.

Finally, strategy must have continuity. It can’t be constantly reinvented.

The thing is, continuity of strategic direction and continuous improvement in how you do things are absolutely consistent with each other. In fact, they’re mutually reinforcing.

The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.

Health care historically has been a very siloed field that’s organized around medical specialties – urology, cardiac surgery, and so forth – and around the supply of these specialty services. The patient is the ping-pong ball that moves from service to service.

Efforts to preserve all industries will lower the national standard of living.

If a strategy meets a goal: It’s working. If a strategy meets a target: It’s a success.

Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity.

Sound strategy starts with having the right goal

Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value.

If your goal is anything but profitability – if it’s to be big, or to grow fast, or to become a technology leader – you’ll hit problems.

Without a goal analytics is aimless and worthless.

A strategy delineates a territory in which a company seeks to be unique.

The ability to change constantly and effectively is made easier by high-level continuity.

A target should go with every goal. A target is the value that defines success.

Since a true knowledge of nature gives us pleasure, a lively imitation of it, either in poetry or painting, must produce a much greater; for both these arts are not only true imitations of nature, but of the best nature.

There are men who teach best by not teaching at all.

It may have been in pieces, but I gave you the best of me.

And I myself a Catholic will be, So far at least, great saint, to pray to thee. Hail, Bard triumphant! and some care bestow On us, the Poets militant below.

The defects of human nature afford us opportunities of exercising our philosophy, the best employment of our virtues. If all men were righteous, all hearts true and frank and loyal, what use would our virtues be?

A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation.

Progress, of the best kind, is comparatively slow.

Silence in times of suffering is the best.