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.

The word adventure has gotten overused. For me, when everything goes wrong - that's when adventure starts

It's okay to be eccentric if you're rich; otherwise you're just crazy.

But I'm really trying to run this company like it is going to be here a hundred years from now. That's what's important.

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

I've always thought of myself as an 80 percenter. I like to throw myself passionately into a sport or activity until I reach about an 80 percent proficiency level. To go beyond that requires an obsession that doesn't appeal to me. Once I reach 80 percent level I like to go off and do something totally different; that probably explains the diversity of the Patagonia product like - and why our versatile, multifaceted clothes are the most successful.

The hardest thing in the world is to simplify your life; it’s so easy to make it complex.