Quotes by Herb Kelleher

“If the employees come first, then theyre happy, ... A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy so they keep coming back, which pleases the shareholders. Its not one of the enduring Green mysteries of all time, it is just the way it works.”

“A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.”

“There was no indication that the runway was wet and they have no indications of any problems at all with the plane,”

“I would have to say from looking at the scene, as Ive seen it, it appears theres a good chance it might be a total loss,”

“Most people think of us as this flamboyant airline, ... but were really very conservative from the fiscal standpoint. . . . We never got dangerously in debt and never let costs get out of hand.”

“Succession planning has been a major priority at Southwest for quite some time. We think we have come up with a winning combination of talent for our company reorganization.”

“Youd have thought we threatened to release the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

“It wasnt a matter of public policy; it was a matter of political power.”

“Inevitably, as we grow bigger across the rest of the country, and Dallas remains the same size, we might have to begin casting about for a place thats more efficient to operate.”

“Its all hands on deck; the ship is being shelled,”

I tell my employees that were in the service business, and its incidental that we fly airplanes.

A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.

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