“The U.S. is facing a structural competitiveness problem that is leading to the weakest economy we have seen in generations.”

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.

Change brings opportunities. On the other hand, change can be confusing.

Companies operating in urban communities have a tremendous ripple effect.

Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.

Strategy is about setting yourself apart from the competition. It’s not a matter of being better at what you do – it’s a matter of being different at what you do.

Compete with your destiny, not theirs.

Every quarterback can throw a ball; every running back can run; every receiver is fast; but that mental toughness that you talk about translates into competitiveness.

If my competitor were drowning I’d stick a hose in his mouth and turn on the water.

No matter how hard you train, Somebody will train harder. No matter how hard you run, Somebody will run harder. No matter how hard you want it, Somebody will want it more, I am Somebody.

If you do it first class and you don’t compromise values, and you don’t compromise quality, and you don’t compromise service, and you don’t compromise cleanliness, then everybody else who is the competitor has got to play catch-up.

A lot of times I find that people who are blessed with the most talent don’t ever develop that attitude, and the ones who aren’t blessed in that way are the most competitive and have the biggest heart.

Speaking of competition in the fast-food industry. This is rat eat rat, dog eat dog. I’ll kill ’em, and I’m going to kill ’em before they kill me.

If you’re poor, you don’t often live near a good school. If it’s a competitive public school program, our kids are not prepared to enter those programs.