Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

By Phil Knight (2016)

I had an aching sense that our time is short, shorter than we ever know, short as a morning run, and I wanted mine to be meaningful. And purposeful. And creative. And important. Above all… different.

My psyche was in true harmony when I had a mix of alone time and team time.

Each of us found pleasure, whenever possible, in focusing on one small task. One task, we often said, clears the mind.

And yet we were always laughing. Sometimes, after a really cathartic guffaw, I’d look around the table and feel overcome by emotion. Camaraderie, loyalty, gratitude. Even love. Surely love.

When you hired an accountant, you knew he or she could count. When you hired a lawyer, you knew he or she could talk. When you hired a marketing expert, or product developer, what did you know? Nothing.