I conduct my life with an expectation that people will do the right thing. Yet even with all my experience, I am still surprised when they do not.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the belief in human goodness and the disappointment that can arise when that expectation is not met.
Howard Schultz conveys the idea that he approaches life with a fundamental trust in people's ability to act ethically. Despite his extensive life experience, he acknowledges his ongoing surprise when individuals fail to meet these expectations, illustrating a tension between hope and reality in interpersonal relationships.
In practice
In a conversation about leadership, one might reference this quote to emphasize the importance of trust in team dynamics.
The rules of engagement around building a brand have changed significantly over the past 10 to 15 years. Where companies at one time could spread their message through traditional marketing, consumers now seek an enduring emotional connection with the companies they patronize. The foundation of that connection is the most important characteristic of building a world-class brand: trust. Trust with your people and trust with your customers.
The future of America is not an entitlement. We have been given a treasure chest of gifts and opportunities, but some people are being left behind, and success is not sustainable unless it is shared.
Starbucks is not an advertiser; people think we are a great marketing company, but in fact we spend very little money on marketing and more money on training our people than advertising.
While their service is ending, our responsibility is just beginning!
In life, you can blame a lot of people and you can wallow in self-pity or you can pick yourself up and say listen, I have to be responsible for myself.
When I first discovered in the early 1980s the Italian espresso bars in my trip to Italy, the vision was to re-create that for America - a third place that had not existed before. Starbucks re-created that in America in our own image; a place to go other than home or work. We also created an industry that did not exist: specialty coffee.
I think a lot about our globalized world, our global interconnectedness, and it really saddens me when I see people 'othering,' when I see people who are willing to live narrowly.
For a host, above all, must be kind to his guests.
As soon as a man and woman of almost any age are alone together within four walls it is assumed that anything may happen. Spontaneous combustion, instant fornication, triumph of the senses. What possibilities men and women must see in each other to infer such dangers. Or, believing in the dangers, how often they must think about the possibilities.
I assure you. I have no notion of treating men with such respect. That is the way to spoil them.
To those of you mourn the loss of a loved one today, my heart goes out to you. We remember that the blessings that we enjoy as Americans came at a dear cost. Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we cannot ever fully repay. But we can honor their sacrifice, and we must. We must honor it in our own lives by holding their memories close to our hearts, and heeding the example they set.
Loneliness is like starvation: you don't realize how hungry you are until you begin to eat.
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