One of the things we don't do very well at Amazon is a me-too product offering. So when I look at physical retail stores, it's very well served, the people who operate physical retail stores are very good at it...the question we would always have before we would embark on such a thing is: What's the idea? What would we do that would be different? How would it be better? We don't want to just do things because we can do them...we don't want to be redundant.

You gotta earn your keep in this world. When you invent something new, if customers come to the party, it's disruptive to the old way.

That kind of divine discontent comes from observing customers and noticing that things can always be better.

There are two ways to extend a business. Take inventory of what you're good at and extend out from your skills. Or determine what your customers need and work backward, even if it requires learning new skills. Kindle is an example of working backward.

The biggest needle movers will be things that customers don't know to ask for. We must invent on their behalf. We have to tap intoour own inner imagination about what's possible.

What we want to be is something completely new. There is no physical analog for what Amazon.com is becoming.