Herb Kelleher is a man of many talents. He was the founder and CEO of Southwest Airlines, which he ran for over 40 years. Herb also served as Chairman Emeritus at Southwest Airlines until he died in 2007.
He was born on September 16th, 1924, in San Antonio, Texas, to Hilda and Lawrence Kelleher, who were both teachers. He attended the University of Texas. He graduated with a degree in journalism and history before joining the United States Air Force during World War II from 1943-1945 (he became an officer). After serving in the military, he returned home to marry his sweetheart Lorraine Dennery on June 21st 1946 – they had three children together.
In this blog post, we look at some famous quotes from Herb Kelleher and how we can implement them in different aspects of our lives.
1. “I do my best to live by a simple rule: Always stand on principle, and then you’re going to be fine.”
Herb Kelleher was a man of integrity. His motto was, “If you haven’t got your word on something, why to have it?” – he stuck to his values and always worked from the heart. He never compromised on his principles and always kept his word.
This quote is beneficial for someone who doesn’t want to be bent out of shape by others. If we believe in ourselves, stand firm and know what we want – we shouldn’t change for anyone else because at the end of the day if we don’t respect ourselves, that’s all we have.
2. “We are not human doings, but human beings.”
Herb Kelleher was against the idea of work-life balance. He wanted people to focus on being actual people – he encouraged employees to engage in hobbies and social activities instead of just focusing on work all the time. The quote is beneficial because we spend so much time working and thinking about work – we should make more effort to engage in other activities.
3. “Don’t think you are. Know you are.”
Herb Kelleher was a firm believer that customers gravitate towards confident people – he wanted the employees at Southwest Airlines to go out and be themselves. He encouraged them not to be too serious but to have fun with the customers at the same time – he said don’t think you’re something, know that you are something.
This quote is beneficial for anyone who wants to go after their dreams because if we believe we can do it and we want it enough – we’ll go after it, and we’ll be unstoppable. So once you have a goal, believe in yourself and work towards it – nothing will stop you!
4. “Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.”
Herb Kelleher loved music – he wanted Southwest Airlines’ employees to be themselves and not act like someone else. This quote is beneficial because we need to live life before creating music from it. We all have a unique story. If you want to write a book about your life, then take action – don’t let your story go untold!
5. “It’s only when you hitch your wagon to a star that you realize you may not be going the same direction.”
Herb Kelleher believed it’s important to carefully choose your life’s work because once we’re passionate about something, we’ll do great things. He gave an example of a flight attendant who quit her job at Southwest Airlines because she received a promotion to the head office. Her life completely turned upside down because she wasn’t happy with her work anymore – she was no longer doing what she enjoyed.
This quote is beneficial for someone starting in their career or looking for a change- it’s important to find something we’re passionate about and go all out! If you want something, don’t settle for anything less.