I was asked what I thought about the recession. I thought about it and decided not to take part.

There are only four things in life that matter. The first is happiness and I'll sell you the other three for a dollar.

The key to success is to get out into the store and listen to what the associates have to say. It's terribly important for everyone to get involved. Our best ideas come from clerks and stockboys.

High expectations are the key to everything.

I learned early on that one of the secrets to campus leadership was the simplest thing of all: speak to people coming down the sidewalk before they speak to you. I did that in college. I did it when I carried my papers. I would always look ahead and speak to the person coming toward me. If I knew them, I would call them by name, but even if I didn't I would still speak to them. Before long, I probably knew more students than anybody in the university, and they recognized me and considered me their friend.

The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.

I loved retail from the beginning, and I still love it today.