S. Truett Cathy

“I had to create some good work habits and attitude.”

“If a man can't manage his own life, he can't manage a business.”

“I'm planning to be here forever, but I know at some point I'll probably have to give it up. If you live to 100, there's a very good chance you'll live forever. Because very few people die after 100.”

“We don't expect every operator to be Christian, but we tell them we do expect them to operate on Christian principles.”

“If you have debt, you have to worry about it. I would challenge each of you to try to be debt-free.”

“We should be about more than just selling chicken: we should be a part of our customers' lives and the communities in which we serve.”

“Putting people before profits is how we've tried to operate from the beginning.”

“Nearly every moment of every day, we have the opportunity to give something to someone else - our time, our love, our resources.”

“Our decision to close on Sunday was our way of honoring God and of directing our attention to things that mattered more than our business.”

“I motivate what I see in young people because we employ about forty thousand young people in our various Chick-fil-A units. Some of them come to work because they need to work; others just work because they just like to work. There's nothing wrong with that.”

“I see no conflict whatsoever between Christianity and good business practices. People say you can't mix business with religion. I say there's no other way.”

“I had a low image of myself because I was brought up in the deep Depression.”

“We live in a changing world, but we need to be reminded that the important things have not changed, and the important things will not change if we keep our priorities in proper order.”

“I have always encouraged my restaurant operators and team members to give back to the local community.”

“I was not so committed to financial success that I was willing to abandon my principles and priorities. One of the most visible examples of this is our decision to close on Sunday.”

“I'd be resentful if shareholders who don't know the business tried to tell me what to do.”

“I've experienced poverty and plenty, and there's a lesson to be learned when you're brought up in poverty.”

“The people are more important than the food. We want a person to be as successful as he can be, and it works the other way around, too.”

“I cook chicken for a living.”

“Why did the chicken cross the road? To prove to the possum that it could be done.”