We also have no incentive compensation of any kind. And the reason we don’t is because it is detrimental to teamwork.

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.

See you in another life, brotha.

Courage in the final analysis is nothing but an affirmative answer to the shocks of existence.

The art of reading and studying consists in remembering the essentials and forgetting what is not essential.

It isn't the ups and downs that make life difficult; it's the jerks.

Home in bed listening to the rain getting ready to order a pizza. Sounds like a song til the last part.

Education has in America's whole history been the major hope for improving the individual and society.

I actually pray everyday, but I don't believe in God.

What should I do about the wild and the tame? The wild heart that wants to be free, and the tame heart that wants to come home.

Methought I saw my late espoused saint.

Hardworking families can no longer afford to wait for a Congress that gridlocks on ideology. I look forward to working with my colleagues from both parties to get things done.