Top 180 Howard Schultz Quotes (2025 Update)
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151. “The premium single-cup segment is the fastest-growing business within the global coffee industry.”

— Howard Schultz

152. “I do think – as self-serving as it sounds – that I was the right person, given the very, very strong headwind we had from the economy and our own issues, to come back and rewrite the future of the company.”

— Howard Schultz

153. “I could’ve just walked away but I never could have forgiven myself to allow Starbucks to drift into mediocrity or not be relevant. I just couldn’t be a bystander.”

— Howard Schultz

154. “At Starbucks 0 as in any business, in any life – there are so many hectic moments during the day when we are simply trying to do the job, trying to put out the fires, trying to solve any number of small problems, that we often lose sight of what it is we’re really here to do.”

— Howard Schultz

155. “After the storm, many citizens left New Orleans to live elsewhere, but those who stayed were determined to rebuild. They loved their city.”

— Howard Schultz

156. “Less than 1 percent of our population have served our military abroad since the September 11, 2001, attacks. Add their direct family members, and they still amount to less than 5 percent of the nation. Most Americans have no skin in the game.”

— Howard Schultz

157. “If you look at coffee, tea, food and juice, we think there are inherent opportunities. If you look at health bars or grab-and-go products that are in our stores, we think we can significantly enhance them and make them more widely available.”

— Howard Schultz

158. “Beverages have to be created. And they’re created by looking at what trend is in, say, the fashion industry – what color’s hot right now.”

— Howard Schultz

159. “Most business people today are not going to invest in the uncertainty that exists in America.”

— Howard Schultz

160. “There are moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make choices that go against reason, against common sense and the wise counsel of people we trust. But we lean forward nonetheless because, despite all risks and rational argument, we believe that the path we are choosing is the right and best thing to do. We refuse to be bystanders, even if we do not know exactly where our actions will lead.”

— Howard Schultz

161. “We have a big opportunity in China. We think the number of stores here can rival the number in North America.”

— Howard Schultz

162. “Overnight the digital age had changed the course of history for our company. Everything that we thought was in our control no longer was. But within a year we had invested in social media and digital experts. Now Starbucks is the number one brand on Facebook.”

— Howard Schultz

163. “One of the terrible tragedies, for me, was the fact that my father passed away before he could witness what I achieved.”

— Howard Schultz

164. “But my story is as much one of perseverance and drive as it is of talent and luck. I willed it to happen. I took my life in my hands, learned from anyone I could, grabbed what opportunity I could, and molded my success step by step. Fear of failure drove me at first, but as I tackled each challenge, my anxiety was replaced by a growing sense of optimism. Once you overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, other hurdles become less daunting.”

— Howard Schultz

165. “The entrepreneurial opportunity in America is alive and well.”

— Howard Schultz

166. “Starbucks has stores in America in many, many communities that are governed by many, many different municipalities. Starbucks cannot dictate to a municipality in Cincinnati or Kansas City or Sacramento how or why or when there should be a recycling program.”

— Howard Schultz

167. “I’ve said often that every enterprise and organization has a memory. And those memories create a path for people to follow.”

— Howard Schultz

168. “We need to reinvent food at Starbucks. Less could be more.”

— Howard Schultz

169. “I can be a bit romantic about history, but I’m also pragmatic about the present. America cannot, of course, have open borders. We need a clear, sustainable immigration policy, one that better manages the flow of people who do not pose a threat and can contribute to our economy and culture. Immigration laws can be sensible without extinguishing the idea that brought so many here and compels so many to stay.”

— Howard Schultz

170. “Do I take criticism of Starbucks personally? Of course I do.”

— Howard Schultz

171. “History shows that silence is unforgivable, for it gives bigotry license. And when meek words masquerade as moral courage, they are perceived as indifference and give the worst of human nature permission to flourish.”

— Howard Schultz

172. “I think Starbucks created a platform and, ultimately, a runway for many other companies to emulate. I suspect if we had not achieved what we have, there would have been many regional brands that would have succeeded. But I’m not sure there would have been a national brand of the scope of Starbucks.”

— Howard Schultz

173. “The point of a coffee store was not just to teach customers about fine coffee but to show them how to enjoy it.”

— Howard Schultz

174. “China traditionally has been a tea-drinking country but we turned them into coffee drinkers.”

— Howard Schultz

175. “I’m optimistic about the country; I’m optimistic about the American people.”

— Howard Schultz

176. “I really believe that you cannot use the stock market as a proxy for the economy.”

— Howard Schultz

177. “The best ideas are those that create a new mind-set or sense a need before others do, and it takes an astute investor to recognize an idea that not only is ahead of its time but also has long-term prospects.”

— Howard Schultz

178. “Americans reading the paper, listening to the news every single day, and all you hear is things are getting worse and worse. And that has a psychological effect on consumer confidence. That’s what consumer confidence is.”

— Howard Schultz

179. “On balance, I am a supporter of the minimum wage going up. We’ve got to be very careful what we wish for because some employers – and there could be a lot of them – will be scared away from hiring new people or creating incremental hours for part-time people as a result of that wage going up.”

— Howard Schultz

180. “The challenge of the retail business is the human condition.”

— Howard Schultz