We prematurely write off people as failures. We are too much in awe of those who succeed and far too dismissive of those who fail.

Lands' End has undergone three major changes over the past couple of decades. The first was the introduction of an 800 number, in 1978; the second was express delivery, in 1994; and the third was the introduction of a Web site, in 1995. The first two innovations cut the average transaction time-the time between the moment of ordering and the moment the goods are received-from three weeks to four days. The third innovation has cut the transaction time from four days to, well, four days.

Sometimes the most modest changes can bring about enormous effects.

Poverty is not deprivation, it is isolation.

I would say first of all, anyone who wants to challenge the status quo always gets that response. Ninety percent of the time, that's just bull. That's just the way in which people choose to prop up their own privilege or their own particular position. So mostly I shrug it off.

It changes how people read you if you believe in God. It gives insight into your motivation, how you look at problems and how you deal with people.

I'm necessarily parasitic in a way. I have done well as a parasite. But I'm still a parasite.