Michael Gates Gill

“Isn't it amazing in life how one minute you are devastated by some news, but then, a few seconds later, your desperate need to survive at any price kicks in and you can find some way to turn it around in your head?”

“I think it's true that the older you get, the more you cry”

“Crystal and Starbucks had saved my life. Saved me from my pursuit of empty symbols, but also my anxiety about a fear-filled superficial life that hadn't been, in the end, helpful or even enjoyable for me”

“I loved learning about the history of things”

“The lake i had grown up on was protected by thousands of acres of private forests. It kept out the reality of a harsher world and surrounded me with fun and privilege”

“I had originally thought that a job at Starbucks might be below my abilities. But now i realized it might be beyond them. This job could be a areal challenge for me - mentally, emotionally, and physically.”

“Starbucks wasn't something people decided for or against in a casual way. It was obviously a key part of their lives, an important destination for them every single day. Maybe even several times a day!”

“In advertising, if you could get clients to laugh, they usually bought your ideas”

“Now looking across my latte at this confident smiling Starbucks employee I felt sorry for myself. She seemed carefree to me so young so full of options. Later I would learn that she had seen more hardship in her life than I could conceive of having seen in three lifetimes.”

“Work is dignity.”

“To those who will see, the world awaits.”

“Here's to creating a life you love”

“Less past, more future!”