Quotes from Phil Knight

Sports is like rock 'n' roll. Both are dominant cultural forces, both speak an international language, and both are all about emotions.

We took advantage of the running boom, which became the jogging boom, which became the fitness boom... and we've benefited from all of that.

Obviously, the bulk of my Nike shares have been set up in a trust.

A shoe dog is somebody that really loves shoes, and that was me. I was a runner... that became important to me, and it's been with me ever since.

You can't explain much in 60 seconds, but when you show Michael Jordan, you don't have to. It's that simple.

I still get real nervous when I go in front of more than two people.

There is an immutable conflict at work in life and in business, a constant battle between peace and chaos. Neither can be mastered, but both can be influenced. How you go about that is the key to success.

If you're trying to get into the sports business, you really have to find a niche.

When I took the entrepreneurship class at Stanford, the first lecture was about an entrepreneur and his personality. They described it as being different than a businessman, who is an overall scientific manager.

I didn't say I'm walking away. I said I was stepping down as chairman. I won't walk away. I'll be carried away.

I think everyone born in Oregon is an environmentalist by birth.

Any entrepreneur has to prepare for a lot of dark days, and they've got to really like what they are doing, and they have to have a reason for it to succeed.

Meeting sports athletes that are the best in the world is a thrill to this day.

Nike is a marketing-oriented company, and the product is our most important marketing tool.

The trouble in America is not that we are making too many mistakes, but that we are making too few.

Dare to take chances, lest you leave your talent buried in the ground.

There is no drama like the drama on the athletic field.

When you really understand who you are, it enables you to fight and believe.

We wanted Nike to be the world's best sports and fitness company. Once you say that, you have a focus. You don't end up making wing tips or sponsoring the next Rolling Stones world tour.