Achievement must be made against the possibility of failure, against the risk of defeat. It is no achievement to walk a tightrope laid flat on the floor. Where there is no risk, there can be no pride in achievement and, consequently, no happiness. The only way we can advance is by going forward, individually and collectively, in the spirit of the pioneer. We must take the risks involved in our free enterprise system. This is the only way in the world to economic freedom. There is no other way.

All money means to me is a pride in accomplishment.

Take calculated risks. Act boldly and thoughtfully. Be an agile company.

I was an overnight success all right, but 30 years is a long, long night.

Our aim was to insure repeat business based on the system's reputation rather than on the quality of a single store or operator.

When times are bad is when you want to build! Why wait for things to pick up so everything will cost more?

The McDonald brothers were simply not on my wavelength at all. I was obsessed with the idea of making McDonald's the biggest and the best. They were content with what they had; they didn't want to be bothered with more risks and more demands.