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A healthy society rests on three pillars: business, government and civil society, or non-profits. Each has a distinct and important role to play, and all three need to work together synergistically to create the most value for society.John Mackey
2
In many companies, the person who talks the best usually gets the job. I got snowed by a few of those people over the years. I still think communication is important, but I don't think there's always a correlation between being a great communicator and other virtues that make for a great leader.John Mackey
3
I slow down when hiking. The rhythm of nature is more leisurely. The sun comes up, it moves across the sky, and you begin to synchronize to that rhythm.John Mackey
4
Your typical business just measures the metrics that have to do with the profitability of the business one way or another. But you can have metrics that measure employee happiness and the morale. You can also do direct customer surveys you can track it over time. You can do supplier satisfaction scores as well.John Mackey
5
I think for leadership positions, emotional intelligence is more important than cognitive intelligence. People with emotional intelligence usually have a lot of cognitive intelligence, but that's not always true the other way around.John Mackey
6
People need to eat whole food plant foods, primarily... whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. That diet supports our lives. We ought to live to be 90 or 100 without getting any diseases.John Mackey
7
We do take seriously our responsibility, and growing ability, to educate people about healthy eating and giving them greater access to nourishing and affordable fresh food.John Mackey
8
A healthy diet is a solution to many of our health-care problems. It's the most important solution.John Mackey
9
Whole Foods has a good health care plan.John Mackey
10
I always like to say that our brand or our philosophy has always been kind of this marriage between the 'food as indulgence, ' and it's also been about 'food as health, ' that food is vitality.John Mackey
11
The world is getting more connected through technology and travel. Cuisines are evolving. Some people are scared of globalization, but I think people will always take pride in cultural heritage.John Mackey
12
In general, when you travel, you get into a different reality and are able to more accurately reflect on your ordinary life. Hiking does that for me.John Mackey
13
I love my cooking tools because I enjoy cooking - a Vitamix for smoothies and a rice cooker for steel-cut oats. I travel with a small rice cooker. I soak oats overnight, and when I get up, I just turn the rice cooker on, and it cooks the oats perfectly every time.John Mackey
14
I think for any small business that's bootstrapped, the overwhelming challenge initially is getting to positive cash flow.John Mackey
15
One of the sad things about retiring is that you just become increasingly irrelevant. The world flows around you, and you don't seem to be impacting it any longer.John Mackey
16
There is nothing wrong with making money, but that's not particularly inspiring.John Mackey
17
I've always thought the main argument for organic was more environmental than a health argument. I just don't think spraying a lot of pesticides into the environment on a routine basis is a good thing.John Mackey
18
We should all have the legal right to purchase health insurance from any insurance company in any state, and we should be able use that insurance wherever we live. Health insurance should be portable.John Mackey
19
I was looking for the meaning of life when I was in college. And my deal with my dad was as long as I was taking a full course load, then he would pay. And the times that I wasn't taking a full course load, then I was off the dole and I was working.John Mackey