You have to treat your employees like customers

If you don't treat your own people well, they won't treat other people well.

If the employees come first, then they're happy. A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy so they keep coming back, which pleases the shareholders. It's not one of the enduring green mysteries of all time, it is just the way it works.

We have the best customer satisfaction record, based on Transportation Dept. statistics, of any airline in America, the fewest complaints filed per 100,000 passengers carried. So you're not just getting low fares, you're also getting wonderful customer service.

I think my greatest moment in business was when the first Southwest airplane arrived after four years of litigation and I walked up to it and I kissed that baby on the lips and I cried.

Leading an organization is as much about soul as it is about systems. Effective leadership finds its source in understanding

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