Jeff Bezos

I've not seen an effective manager or leader who can't spend some fraction of time down in the trenches... If they don't do that they get out of touch with reality, and their whole thought and management process becomes abstract and disconnected.

One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don't choose your passions; your passions choose you.

If you never want to be criticized, for goodness sake don't do anything new.

If you decide that you're going to do only the things you know are going to work, you're going to leave a lot of opportunity on the table.

What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and choices. Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy - they’re given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices.

I knew that if I failed I wouldn't regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.