Not one of the good-to-great companies focused obsessively on growth.

For, in the end, it is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work.

Good is the enemy of great.. The vast majority of good companies remain just that - good, but not great.

In an ironic twist, I now see Good to Great not as a sequel to Built to Last, but more of a prequel. Good to Great is about how to turn a good organization into one that produces sustained great results. Built to Last is about how you take a company with great results and turn it into an enduring great company of iconic stature.

There is a sense of exhilaration that comes from facing head-on the hard truths and saying, "We will never give up. We will never capitulate. It might take a long time, but we will find a way to prevail."

Don't be interesting - be interested.

Good is the enemy of great. And that's one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.