Herb Kelleher Quotes

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Herb Kelleher

Profession : Businessman

Birth : March 12, 1931

You can have parties without spending enormous sums of money.

Herb Kelleher

It is my practice to try to understand how valuable something is by trying to imagine myself without it.

Herb Kelleher

My suggestion is that if you need someone outside your company to prepare a mission statement for you, then you really don't know what your mission is, and you probably don't have one.

Herb Kelleher

I've found that many of the greatest ideas surface in bars because that's where many people cultivate inspiration.

Herb Kelleher

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

Herb Kelleher

I guess the worst moment I ever had in business was the fear that Southwest Airlines wouldn't get off the ground.

Herb Kelleher

I think my greatest moment in business was when the first Southwest airplane arrived after four years of litigation, and I walked up to it and I kissed that baby on the lips and I cried.

Herb Kelleher

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

Herb Kelleher

The people of Southwest have always been my pride, my joy and my love. Their indomitable dedication and esprit de corps have taken Southwest from a three-airplane dream to a 500-airplane reality.

Herb Kelleher

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.

Herb Kelleher

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.

Herb Kelleher

I think flying is kind of an emotional experience.

Herb Kelleher

I don't really have any peeves, and I fly other carriers a good bit. My experience has been good in terms of getting on the airplane expeditiously and getting to my destination as need be, on time, with my bags - which I carry on.

Herb Kelleher

I've been asked a number of times what was my proudest accomplishment when I was still very active in the day-to-day affairs of Southwest Airlines. I always said job security for our people.

Herb Kelleher

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.

Herb Kelleher

I just always have felt that people should be natural in their behavior, that they should be able to derive enjoyment from whatever they do. When they derive enjoyment, they tend to work together better; they tend to be more productive.

Herb Kelleher

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.

Herb Kelleher

I want to see Texas remain an entrepreneurial powerhouse in the United States.

Herb Kelleher

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.'

Herb Kelleher

A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy, so they keep coming back. It's not one of the enduring green mysteries of all time; it is just the way it works.

Herb Kelleher