We learned that a former prisoner of war had more to teach us about what it takes to find a path to greatness than most books on corporate strategy.

A great company will have many once-in-a-liftetime opportunities.

How can you succeed by helping others succeed? We succeed at our very best only when we help others succeed.

The critical question is not whether you'll have luck, but what you do with the luck that you get.

Level 5 leaders are differentiated from other levels of leaders in that they have a wonderful blend of personal humility combined with extraordinary professional will. Understand that they are very ambitious; but their ambition, first and foremost, is for the company's success. They realize that the most important step they must make to become a Level 5 leader is to subjugate their ego to the company's performance. When asked for interviews, these leaders will agree only if it's about the company and not about them.

You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, AND at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

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.