Howard Schultz

There's this myth that has been exacerbated by others that Starbucks means a $4 cup of coffee, which is not true.

In the 1960s, if you introduced a new product to America, 90% of the people who viewed it for the first time believed in the corporate promise. Then 40 years later if you performed the same exercise, less than 10% of the public believed it was true. The fracturing of trust is based on the fact that the consumer has been let down.

I think the most important thing that I think everyone in America must have is belief that wherever they live, whatever station they have in life, that the American dream is alive and well. I think the fracturing of trust and confidence is in the American dream.

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.

As Americans, there are very few things we have confidence in.

We are witnessing a seismic change in consumer behavior. That change is being brought about by technology and the access people have to information.

The hardest thing about being a leader is demonstrating or showing vulnerability... When the leader demonstrates vulnerability and sensibility and brings people together, the team wins.

The challenge of the retail business is the human condition.

For Starbucks, there will be no shortage of the highest-quality arabica beans. I suspect that for some others there could potentially be a problem, not in the near term, but over time.

At an early age, my mother gave me this feeling that anything is possible, and I believe that.

We live in an age where everything is based on the short term.

I always saw myself wanting to do something deemed successful and good at the same time.