Valve's Gabe Newell:

Each developer's responsible for thinking about how to measure and optimize customer satisfaction.

Atul Gawande:

The difference between triumph and defeat, you'll find, isn't about willingness to take risks. It's about mastery of rescue.

Jennifer Tilly:

Sometimes I'll go easy on some really old guy, and then he just really sticks it to me a half-hour later. He's really ungracious about it, and I think, Oooh, I should have never let him live. I should have snuffed him out when I had the chance.

John Flowers:

The way it works is, we give away the product for free, then lure advertisers with the promise of connecting them to millions of people who hate to pay for things. Amazingly, it works.

Charles Wheelan:

Some of your worst days lie ahead. If you are going to do anything worthwhile, you will face periods of grinding self-doubt and failure. Be prepared to work through them ... one year after college graduation, I had no job, less than $500 in assets, and I was living with an elderly retired couple. The only difference between when I graduated and today is that now no one can afford to retire.

Nick Foster:

Making things is hard. Really hard. Don't let anyone tell you anything different.

John Marbach:

Stop building your idea. Start solving a problem.