Quotes from Herb Kelleher

Succession planning has been a major priority at Southwest for quite some time. We think we have come up with a winning combination of talent for our company reorganization.

The more time I spend with our people, the more I find out about our business.

In 1996 - when, for the fifth year in a row, we had the best record among major airlines for on-time performance and for baggage handling and the fewest complaints for the number of customers carried - we dedicated an airplane to all of our 25,000 people. We put all their names on the outside of the overhead bins.

I just always have felt that people should be natural in their behavior, that they should be able to derive enjoyment from whatever they do. When they derive enjoyment, they tend to work together better; they tend to be more productive.

I've always said manage in good times so that you're ready for the bad times.

If you're crazy enough to do what you love for a living, then you're bound to create a life that matters.

A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.

I'd say my mother made more of a difference to me than anyone else did. I know that's a conventional and perhaps mundane answer, but my family was blown apart at the start of World War II.

The clear, unmistakable sign of a bureaucrat is somebody who worries about whether he has a window.

I guess the worst moment I ever had in business was the fear that Southwest Airlines wouldn't get off the ground.

Who says a lighthearted approach to business is incompatible with success?

The tragedy of our time is that we've got it backwards, we've learned to love techniques and use people.

The people of Southwest have always been my pride, my joy and my love. Their indomitable dedication and esprit de corps have taken Southwest from a three-airplane dream to a 500-airplane reality.

We will hire someone with less experience, less education, and less expertise than someone who has more of those things and has a rotten attitude. Because we can train people. We can teach people how to lead. We can teach people how to provide customer service. But we can't change their DNA.

I love battles. I think it's part of the Irish in me.

Your employees come first. And if you treat your employees right, guess what? Your customers come back, and that makes your shareholders happy. Start with employees and the rest follows from that.

A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy, so they keep coming back. It's not one of the enduring green mysteries of all time; it is just the way it works.

One piece of advice that always stuck in my mind is that people should be respected and trusted as people, not because of their position or title.

You can't have a mid-life crisis in the airline industry because every day is a crisis.

We turned our planes around after landing and got them off again in 20 minutes back in the early days; 15 minutes in many cases. That gave us a huge cost advantage because we could do more flying in a day with a single plane than anybody else.

I've been asked a number of times what was my proudest accomplishment when I was still very active in the day-to-day affairs of Southwest Airlines. I always said job security for our people.

The spirit of Southwest Airlines is exuberant, it's caring, it's dedicated, it's diligent, it's fun, it's rewarding, it's a joy.

Keep costs low and spirits high, and the people of Southwest Airlines will keep LUV in the air.

Culture is intangible. It's spiritual. You can't buy it.