Quotes from Howard Schultz

Growing up I always felt like I was living on the other side of the tracks. I knew the people on the other side had more resources, more money, happier families.

People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be part of something they're really proud of, that they'll fight for, sacrifice for, that they trust.

You must find something that you deeply love and are passionate about and are willing to sacrifice a lot to achieve.

Pouring espresso is an art, one that requires the barista to care about the quality of the beverage.

We are witnessing a seismic change in consumer behavior. That change is being brought about by technology and the access people have to information.

My father had a series of blue-collar jobs and never made more than $20,000 a year. When I was seven, he got injured on a job. That was a very important point - because of the injury, he couldn't walk, and the company he was working for did not pay him. There was no compensation. So there was no money and no food.

I am concerned about any attrition in customer traffic at Starbucks, but I don't want to use the economy, commodity prices or consumer confidence as an excuse. We must maintain a value proposition to our customers as well as differentiate the Starbucks Experience. That is the key.

Social and digital media is a bullet train, and that bullet train is not coming home.

When you're building a business or joining a company, you have to be transparent; you can't have two sets of information for two sets of people.

Americans reading the paper, listening to the news every single day, and all you hear is things are getting worse and worse. And that has a psychological effect on consumer confidence. That's what consumer confidence is.

Entrepreneurs must love what they do to such a degree that doing it is worth sacrifice and, at times, pain. But doing anything else, we think, would be unimaginable.

Starbucks is rekindling America's love affair with coffee, bringing romance and fresh flavor back to the brew.

If you don't love what you're doing with unbridled passion and enthusiasm, you're not going to succeed when you hit obstacles.

It's ironic that no matter where I go, I meet people from Brooklyn. I'm proud of that heritage. It's where I'm from, who I am.

I was born on the other side of the tracks, in public housing in Brooklyn, New York. My dad never made more than $20,000 a year, and I grew up in a family that lost health insurance. So I was scarred at a young age with understanding what it was like to watch my parents lose access to the American dream.

I was working probably at the age of 10, when I had my first paper route. I had every different kind of job you could possibly imagine as a young kid.

Beverages have to be created. And they're created by looking at what trend is in, say, the fashion industry - what color's hot right now.

I am concerned about any attrition in customer traffic at Starbucks, but I don't want to use the economy, commodity prices or consumer confidence as an excuse.

I'm not losing any sleep over Dunkin Donuts.

The lifeblood of job creation in America is small business, but they can't get access to credit.

In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. Their foundations are stronger because they are built with the strength of the human spirit, not an ad campaign. The companies that are lasting are those that are authentic.

Mass advertising can help build brands, but authenticity is what makes them last. If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.

In times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we're made of.

Authentic brands don't emerge from marketing cubicles or advertising agencies. They emanate from everything the company does...