If you're long-term oriented, customer interests and shareholder interests are aligned.

I've not seen an effective manager or leader who can't spend some fraction of time down in the trenches... If they don't do that they get out of touch with reality, and their whole thought and management process becomes abstract and disconnected.

We also have no incentive compensation of any kind. And the reason we don’t is because it is detrimental to teamwork.

Maintain a firm grasp of the obvious at all times.

In Seattle you haven't had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it's running.

Many of the traits that make Amazon unusual are now deeply ingrained in the culture. In fact, if I wanted to change them, I couldn't. The cultures are self-reinforcing, and that's a good thing.

Be proud of your choices, not your gifts.