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5 quotes

LEONARD RIGGIO

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I grew up in Brooklyn. We didn't worry about what might go wrong. We worried about what we could build.

entrepreneurshipmindsetNew York Times profile, 2004

Scale is not just a competitive advantage in retail. Scale is the business.

competitive-advantageretailPublishers Weekly interview, 1995

Books are not just products. People have a relationship with them. That is the business we are really in.

bookscustomer-experienceBarnes & Noble annual shareholder letter, 1998

You cannot compete with Amazon by being Amazon. You compete by being something Amazon cannot be.

amazoncompetitionFortune CEO interview, 2012

I bought a store with borrowed money and a lot of nerve. That is still the best business plan I ever wrote.

entrepreneurshiporiginsNYU commencement address, 2008