Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room

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.

Our garage was basically science fair central.

The smartest people are constantly revising their understanding, reconsidering a problem they thought they’d already solved. They’re open to new points of view, new information, new ideas, contradictions, and challenges to their own way of thinking.

Our point of view is we will sell more if we help people make purchasing decisions.

The common question that gets asked in business is, why? That’s a good question, but an equally valid question is, why not?

And I still buy books at B&N, Borders and Elliot Bay ... I probably shouldn't admit this. But I don't care. I love great bookstores.