"Starbucks has a role and a meaningful relationship with people that is not only about the coffee."

"Great companies that build an enduring brand have an emotional relationship with customers that has no barrier. And that emotional relationship is on the most important characteristic, which is trust."

"The challenge of the retail business is the human condition."

"You walk into a retail store, whatever it is, and if there's a sense of entertainment and excitement and electricity, you wanna be there."

"In life, you can blame a lot of people and you can wallow in self-pity, or you can pick yourself up and say, 'Listen, I have to be responsible for myself.'"

"Starbucks is in my blood. It is such a part of me that letting it unravel simply was not an option."

"I was taken by the power that savoring a simple cup of coffee can have to connect people and create community."

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

"With a population of more than 600 million people, an emerging middle class that is driving strong consumption, and a robust and resilient economy, Southeast Asia presents a compelling growth opportunity for Starbucks."

"The hardest thing about being a leader is demonstrating or showing vulnerability... When the leader demonstrates vulnerability and sensibility and brings people together, the team wins."

"I never wanted to be on any billionaires list. I never define myself by net worth. I always try to define myself by my values."

"I think if you're an entrepreneur, you've got to dream big and then dream bigger."

"I'm in a different position than most CEO's. I'm a founder. I'm not a hired CEO. Now, I can be fired by the board, but most CEO's are hired by the board."

"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."

"I'm a voracious reader."

"My mother taught me something at a young age - she said 'you are the company you keep'. To define yourself by some label or some level of resources - that's pretty shallow."

"I could've just walked away but I never could have forgiven myself to allow Starbucks to drift into mediocrity or not be relevant. I just couldn't be a bystander."

"I really believe that you cannot use the stock market as a proxy for the economy."

"We think of Starbucks not as a coffee company but a media company."

"We need to reinvent food at Starbucks. Less could be more."

"Risk more than others think safe."

"Success in the United States is not an entitlement in China. You have to go there and earn it, and earn it the right way."

"We have a big opportunity in China. We think the number of stores here can rival the number in North America."

"London, a city where creativity and innovation have always flourished, provides a significant home for Starbucks and a significant gateway into Europe."