I purposely try to hire people who are really self-motivated and good at what they do, and then I just leave them alone.

We're a part of nature. As we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves. It's a selfish thing to want to protect nature.

You ask me about the past, you ask me about the future, the only way to be happy is to be living right now.

Going back to a simpler life based on living by sufficiency rather than excess is not a step backward.

I never wanted to be a businessman; I was a craftsman and good at working with my hands. At some point, I decided that this company is my best resource. Patagonia now exists to put into practice all the things that smart people are saying we have to do not only to save the planet but to save the economy.

I'm the company philosopher and the burr in the saddle. I'm the one who says we need to try harder, improve the quality of our products, become a part of the political process, help elect people who are good for the environment.

Who are businesses really responsible to? Their customers? Shareholders? Employees? We would argue that it’s none of the above. Fundamentally, businesses are responsible to their resource base. Without a healthy environment there are no shareholders, no employees, no customers and no business.