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.

That good is the enemy of great is not just a business problem. It is a human problem.

For no matter what we achieve, if we don't spend the vast majority of our time with people we love and respect, we cannot possibly have a great life. But if we spend the vast majority of our time with people we love and respect - people we really enjoy being on the bus with and who will never disappoint us - then we will almost certainly have a great life, no matter where the bus goes. The people we interviewed from the good-to-great companies clearly loved what they did, largely because they loved who they did it with.

Just because a company falls doesn't invalidate what we can learn by studying that company when it was at its historical best.

Don't be interesting - be interested.

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

A company should limit its growth based on its ability to attract enough of the right people.