Many of the traits that make Amazon unusual are now deeply ingrained in the culture. In fact, if I wanted to change them, I couldn't. The cultures are self-reinforcing, and that's a good thing.

A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.

The common question that gets asked in business is, why? That’s a good question, but an equally valid question is, why not?

We can't be in survival mode. We have to be in growth mode.

What we want to be is something completely new. There is no physical analog for what Amazon.com is becoming.

One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don't choose your passions; your passions choose you.

If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.

It's hard to find things that won't sell online.

Everything you are comes from your choices.

A company shouldn't get addicted to being shiny, because shiny doesn't last.

We've had three big ideas at Amazon that we've stuck with for 18 years, and thy're the reason we're successful: Put the customer first. Invent. And be patient.

Remember, finding a publisher is a lot like a date. You can submit willfully and keep getting rejected, but in the end, you can always self-publish yourself.

But no matter what happens to the surviving humans, there will always be the walking dead.

The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said.

Sometimes, very occasionally, you do your best boxing with your mouth.

Being an actress is a very physical thing. If I didn't look the way I looked, I would never have started in films.

The cemetery is filled with indispensable men.

There are only a few places that I go where people recognize me anyway. I have to be at the right place, in the right city. It's not really that much of an issue.

All the best human impulses can be traced back to adolescence.

President Bush's proposal to focus our resources on sending humans to Mars is intriguing, but it is not the most compelling reason that Americans ought to focus our interest on the Red Planet.

I've always been proud of being a Marine. I won't hesitate to defend the Corps.