Though we are optimistic, we must remain vigilant and maintain a sense of urgency.

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.

Miracle focus messages compels masses to think that the process of production is not necessary for prosperity

My mother was the influence in my life. She was strong she had great faith in the ultimate triumph of justice and hard work. She believed passionately in education.

Something that simply mystifies me.

Life is not having, it's wanting. Life is not taking, it's giving. Life is not dying, it's living.

I have lived too long in foreign parts

You need a community. They remind you when you forget, and you remind them when they forget.

An interviewer asked me what book I thought best represented the modern American woman. All I could think of to answer was: Madame Bovary.

The wise man puts himself last and finds himself first.

Justice is not always an open and shut case - sometimes we have to work for it. If you want peace, you must work for justice.

Surfing teaches patience . On land, surfers cannot will a swell to appear. They have to wait for nature to make the call. So surfers wait . They keep their eyes on the horizon and they wait.