Libertarians are constantly arguing with each other who is the most pure libertarian and who is most ideologically pure.

- John Mackey

You have to understand: the narrative that people have about business and capitalism is that they are fundamentally selfish, greedy, and exploitative. Of course, I don't agree with that narrative.

- John Mackey

The stakeholder approach to business sees integration rather than separation, and sees how things fit together.

- John Mackey

It's competition that forces companies to get out of their complacency.

- John Mackey

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

We believe that business is good because it creates value. It is ethical because it is based on voluntary exchange; it is noble because it can elevate our existence, and it is heroic because it lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity.

- John Mackey

Message boards are like going to a Halloween masquerade party. Everybody has a screen name.

- John Mackey

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

Whole Foods has a good health care plan.

- John Mackey

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

The right actions undertaken for the right reasons generally lead to good outcomes over time.

- John Mackey

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

Customers want high-quality food, good service, and good store experience, and most retailers fail to deliver on those.

- John Mackey

At a lot of companies founded on principles, the notion of making money is almost antithetical to the ethos of the place. From the very beginning, our business has existed to meet the needs and desires of multiple constituencies: customers, team members, vendors, shareholders, the community.

- John Mackey

The great thing about a culture is that once you really get it going, it evolves on its own. It's self-organizing. It's dynamic. It just feeds on itself.

- John Mackey

Health care is a service that we all need, but just like food and shelter, it is best provided through voluntary and mutually beneficial market exchanges.

- John Mackey

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

I've been doing long-distance backpacking since 2002 when I hiked the Appalachian Trail. You start to calm down and relax and get into the slower rhythm of nature.

- John Mackey

A healthy diet is a solution to many of our health-care problems. It's the most important solution.

- John Mackey

At the end of the day, the quality of life is all we have, and it's just as important to that lobster, the quality of life that it lives - even if it's not as long - as the quality of your life.

- John Mackey