Quotes from Mark Parker

I'm a relentless sketcher. It goes back to how you process the world around you - the whole left-brain, right-brain thing. Some people are data-driven. I've always been more visual.

I'm inspired by visual stimulation.

My wife will go, 'You know, you're drawing a shoe right now.' I do that all the time.

No one works harder at inspiring athletes all over the world than our team at Nike. Creating those experiences requires an amazing amount of energy, a steady flow of big ideas to excite and surprise people, and a constant dialogue that connects us on a personal level.

In difficult times, it's important to speak up. We cannot change the past, but we can impact the future.

Eventually, I developed compartment syndrome in my calf and had to get surgery. I run three to five days a week now, mixed in with walking and other things. I want to run just because I enjoy it.

I tend to gravitate toward people who are a bit more eccentric and creative and artistic in some ways. And I like bringing disparate kinds of creative people together to create some great work, even to share points of view on a new direction.

We need policies that will allow U.S. companies to invest in their business, innovate for the future, and create U.S. jobs.

Curiosity is life. Assumption is death.

I love working with athletes. They're all very demanding.

Design is an iterative process. One idea often builds on another.

Let's start with the athlete, Nike's original and most important collaborator. To us, everything starts with the insight. That's why we work with the deepest roster of athletes, to gain the most profound understanding of what's needed to perform.

The role of design at a company is to allow you to recreate yourself, to allow your company to find a new way of success before the old way fails.

When I travel, I connect with creative people in all different fields and disciplines. It's sort of just to keep my finger on the pulse of what's going on. I think that's important.

I ran over 10 years without missing a day, averaging close to 15 miles. I loved being able to run a long distance and get that feeling of strength and exhilaration from being in good shape. There was a meditative quality about it. Almost effortlessness. That's a special feeling.

Our brands - Nike, Converse, Jordan Brand and Hurley - are loved by customers all over the world. But we never take that for granted; we know that every day we have to earn their trust - by serving them completely and adding real value to their lives through products and experiences.

When you work in a culture that thrives on innovation and is constantly moving into unchartered territory, you're going to hit dead ends. But to be successful over the long term, remember what you've learned and move on from it quickly.

The biggest sources of opportunity are collaboration and partnership. And today, with digital communication, there is more of that everywhere. We need to expose ourselves to that as a matter of doing business.

Regardless of whether or how you worship, where you come from or who you love, everyone's individual experience is what makes us stronger as a whole.

I just really enjoy the process of working with other talented, creative people. There's great power in bringing diverse points of view together. It can be incredibly stimulating.

The digital and physical worlds are starting to come together more seamlessly - it's only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what's coming.

I love design, so it's important for me to have a creative outlet.

I don't like when I say 'honestly' - not to imply that I'm otherwise not honest.

At Penn State, I ran distance and cross country as a walk-on. I wound up running a lot of marathons, 30-plus. I was okay. I won one in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. I think it was around 2:30. I could crank those out all day.