Herb Kelleher

“I love battles. I think it's part of the Irish in me.”

“You can't have a mid-life crisis in the airline industry because every day is a crisis.”

“Wild Turkey whiskey and Philip Morris cigarettes are essential to the maintenance of human life!”

“In 1996 - when, for the fifth year in a row, we had the best record among major airlines for on-time performance and for baggage handling and the fewest complaints for the number of customers carried - we dedicated an airplane to all of our 25,000 people. We put all their names on the outside of the overhead bins.”

“The spirit of Southwest Airlines is exuberant, it's caring, it's dedicated, it's diligent, it's fun, it's rewarding, it's a joy.”

“When I started working on Southwest Airlines, I kid you not, only people flying on business and very wealthy people ever flew.”

“I tell my employees that we're in the service business, and it's incidental that we fly airplanes.”

“The clear, unmistakable sign of a bureaucrat is somebody who worries about whether he has a window.”

“Just because you don't announce your plan doesn't mean you don't have one.”

“Our people know that if they are sick, we will take care of them. If there are occasions of grief or joy, we will be there with them. They know that we value them as people, not just cogs in a machine.”

“Southwest isn't a 'This is my job, that's your job' kind of company. Being successful is our job, and we're willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that.”

“Fight hierarchy and bureaucracy as hard as you possibly can. Don't ever let it become the master; always remember it's the servant.”

“Keep costs low and spirits high, and the people of Southwest Airlines will keep LUV in the air.”

“As far as value is concerned, the principal reason that I moved to Texas from New Jersey many, many years ago was because I recognized that Texas was a much more entrepreneurial state than New Jersey, that the opportunities to start things were greater in Texas. And my vision was fortunately fulfilled.”

“You want to show your people that you value them, and you're not going to hurt them just to get a little more money in the short term. Not furloughing people breeds loyalty. It breeds a sense of security. It breeds a sense of trust.”

“Who says a lighthearted approach to business is incompatible with success?”

“What's important is that a customer should get off the airplane feeling, 'I didn't just get from A to B. I had one of the most pleasant experiences I ever had, and I'll be back for that reason.'”

“One piece of advice that always stuck in my mind is that people should be respected and trusted as people, not because of their position or title.”

“We turned our planes around after landing and got them off again in 20 minutes back in the early days; 15 minutes in many cases. That gave us a huge cost advantage because we could do more flying in a day with a single plane than anybody else.”

“Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility.”