The spirit of Southwest Airlines is exuberant, it’s caring, it’s dedicated, it’s diligent, it’s fun, it’s rewarding, it’s a joy. – Herb Kelleher
Keep costs low and spirits high, and the people of Southwest Airlines will keep LUV in the air. – Herb Kelleher
I’d say my mother made more of a difference to me than anyone else did. I know that’s a conventional and perhaps mundane answer, but my family was blown apart at the start of World War II. – Herb Kelleher
I tell my employees that we’re in the service business, and it’s incidental that we fly airplanes. – Herb Kelleher
I think my greatest moment in business was when the first Southwest airplane arrived after four years of litigation, and I walked up to it and I kissed that baby on the lips and I cried. – Herb Kelleher
When I started working on Southwest Airlines, I kid you not, only people flying on business and very wealthy people ever flew. – Herb Kelleher
Your employees come first. And if you treat your employees right, guess what? Your customers come back, and that makes your shareholders happy. Start with employees and the rest follows from that. – Herb Kelleher
One piece of advice that always stuck in my mind is that people should be respected and trusted as people, not because of their position or title. – Herb Kelleher
The clear, unmistakable sign of a bureaucrat is somebody who worries about whether he has a window. – Herb Kelleher
I guess the worst moment I ever had in business was the fear that Southwest Airlines wouldn’t get off the ground. – Herb Kelleher
It is my practice to try to understand how valuable something is by trying to imagine myself without it. – Herb Kelleher
Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility. – Herb Kelleher
You can’t have a mid-life crisis in the airline industry because every day is a crisis. – Herb Kelleher
I’ve found that many of the greatest ideas surface in bars because that’s where many people cultivate inspiration. – Herb Kelleher
The people of Southwest have always been my pride, my joy and my love. Their indomitable dedication and esprit de corps have taken Southwest from a three-airplane dream to a 500-airplane reality. – Herb Kelleher
Wild Turkey whiskey and Philip Morris cigarettes are essential to the maintenance of human life! – Herb Kelleher