I conduct my life with an expectation that people will do the right thing. Yet even with all my experience, I am still surprised when they do not.

There's this myth that has been exacerbated by others that Starbucks means a $4 cup of coffee, which is not true.

My kids probably started drinking coffee in their late teens.

People in Washington need to put their feet in the shoes of working Americans.

Many companies today are reducing hours of full-time people to get under the minimum so they don't have to pay health care costs. I just shake my head because that's not going to build long-term value and trust with your people.

When I first discovered in the early 1980s the Italian espresso bars in my trip to Italy, the vision was to re-create that for America - a third place that had not existed before. Starbucks re-created that in America in our own image; a place to go other than home or work. We also created an industry that did not exist: specialty coffee.

In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart.