Quotes from Mark Parker

I'm drawn to talented, creative people who often just don't know how to support themselves - they're more focused on their work than trying to figure that out. So I commission a lot of works with artists who I like personally or professionally, and through that process, I wound up collecting a lot of art.

I've gotten lots of great advice from lots of people that I admire, but the person who influenced me more than anyone in my life was my grandmother.

It's impossible to leave our emotions and experiences outside the work place - they inform us and make us who we are.

I always carry a sketchbook around with me, and I sketch whenever I can... I might be in a financial review and be sketching because I find that I actually listen better when I sketch. Truth be told, there are probably more sketches in my books than there are written notes.

I have sketched since a young age, so there's always been an artistic side, a visual side to my personality.

You don't always have to start over to create an emotional reaction to your product. It's always powerful to deliver a breakthrough, but there's also a true art to making something great even better.

At a big company, often size turns into constipation; it fogs the lens about what's really happening. Sometimes with size and success comes the notion that since we've done things to be successful, we have the formula and can institutionalize it. That can be death.

One of my biggest sources of angst is having people so comfortable with a formula that works that they are not challenging themselves or their ideas.

There is always an underlying spirit of invention at Nike - we love to create something that has never before existed. And not just new for the sake of new - it has to be better.

Nike is at its best when we focus on the future. Sport is in a constant state of progression. Athletes are expanding their potential every day - and so must we.

As a company, I'm proud that Nike takes a stand on issues that impact all of us, our athletes, and society as a whole. And I am proud that Nike stands against discrimination in any form. We stand against bigotry. We stand for racial justice. We firmly believe the world can improve.

Nike stands together against bigotry and any form of discrimination... Now, more than ever, let's stand up for our values and remain open and inclusive as a brand and as a company.

One of the challenges of innovation is challenging a set model. A traditional way to manufacture footwear existed for hundreds of years. Now we have a whole new way.

Observing is really the fuel to innovating, ultimately.

Collaboration among individuals, brands, and industries will only continue to accelerate as technology facilitates and enables greater connection in real time from anywhere in the world. It's why we're experiencing such an unprecedented pace of innovation in every aspect of our lives.

The best innovation comes from inclusive work environments that foster diverse ideas, nurture people with diverse talent and backgrounds, and create strong relationships with diverse communities.

I think overdesigning comes from a lack of editing. The strongest, most compelling, and most useful things in life are irreducible - love, truth, faith, honor.

One way a collaboration can go wrong is if your connection is inauthentic or overly prescriptive.

I was a pretty independent kid. I thought maybe I'd be a veterinarian or an environmental lawyer.

Everything starts with design.