I think my constant fiddling and meddling with the status quo may have been one of my biggest contributions to the later success of Wal-Mart.

I don't know what would have happened to Wal-Mart if we had laid low and never stirred up the competition. My guess is that we would have remained a strictly regional operator.

Job security lasts only as long as the customer is satisfied. Nobody owes anybody else a living.

Great ideas come from everywhere if you just listen and look for them. You never know who's going to have a great idea.

I was asked what I thought about the recession. I thought about it and decided not to take part.

I'd hate to see any descendants of mine fall into the category of what I'd call 'idle rich' -- a group I've never had much use for.

I not only knew I wanted to go into retailing, I also knew I wanted to go into business for myself.

Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen,

well-timed, sincere words of praise.

They're absolutely free and worth a fortune.

Appreciate everything your associates do for the business.

In the beginning, I was so chintzy I really didn't pay my employees well.

If one of our customers comes into the store without a smile, I'll give them one of mine.

I'd still say that visiting the stores and listening to our folks was one of the most valuable uses of my time as an executive. But really, our best ideas usually do come from the folks in the stores. Period.

The way management treats their associates is exactly how the associates will then treat the customers.

The job of senior management is to cultivate an environment where store managers can learn from the market and from each other.

Information is power, and the gain you get from empowering your associates more than offsets the risk of informing your competitor.

You can learn from everybody.

When all else fails, put on a costume and sing a silly song.

I've owned about 18 airplanes over the years, and I've never bought one of them new.

Exceed your customer's expectations. If you do, they'll come back over and over. Give them what they want -- and a little more.

There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company, from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.