Charlie Bell Quotations

There are good days and there are bad days, and I've had my share of both.

I was getting old, man. I was staring 27 in the face.

My philosophy in all my jobs at McDonald's is to be honest and say what I think and mean what I say.

We're not perfect, but we want to do the right thing.

Someone once said that life is what happens while we are making other plans. I now know what that means.

It would be arrogant of us for me to say everything at McDonald's is perfect.

The biggest threat to McDonald's lies within - and that is us as a company becoming complacent. There are a lot of companies that get fat, dumb and happy and take their eye off the ball and forget about serving customers.

Australians are pretty blunt and we say things how they really are.

Many of the criticisms about McDonald's are false. We are keen to provide people with as much nutritional information as possible to help them manage their diets.

The problem with naming a No. 2 is you really want to throw all your weight behind the guy who is going to be the leader.

We're starting to come around as a team, we're really playing unselfish basketball. It's becoming a recurring story just about every game, we come in and play well together.

When he finished last season, he came on like gangbusters once we got to know him and once he got the feel of varsity football, ... He was showing us all summer what we've got, offensively and defensively, so there's no surprise to us. Josh is just born with talent and skill, but to his credit, he works extremely hard to maximize it.

Nobody's really talking about what we're going to be doing on vacation. We're talking about what we're going to be doing in this game, and what we're going to do as far as getting this series back to Milwaukee, and then try to force them to a Game 7.

I don't go to the gym every night planning on starting.

I didn't do anything special with Carmelo except to stay with him. We knew we had enough points and that all we had to do is defend in the second half.

I am starting to play a little better. My confidence is coming. I just try to make the best of it because you never know what is going to happen in the future. I am getting a chance to go out there and show other teams and this team what I can do.

But we didn't play our best. We were not as focused, sharp as we'd been in our two previous games. We committed mental errors and didn't play with our usual fire and energy.

I feel good and I look forward to a complete recovery, ... While I recognize that last year's strong comparable sales will create more challenging monthly comparisons as we move throughout the year, I remain confident in our plans and the opportunities that exist to add even more customers to our restaurants in the future.

He hit some shots that he probably wouldn't normally make. Those type of shots you hit only when you're in a zone. He was in a zone tonight.

We can go out there with nothing to lose because nobody really gave us a chance to even win a game in this series, and nobody has given us a chance to win this next game in Detroit. If we can get a win and bring it back here, anything can happen.

I talked to coach at the beginning of the season, he was telling me when he seen my name that he didn't know much about me and thought I was going to be a good practice player. I've come a long way.

I think you determine what they do best and you try to slow them down. You can't stop them, but you can slow them down.

It gives us the opportunity to play like a Phoenix Suns where we spread the court. It's hard because we've got so many great shooters out there and we're making shots.

I think this woke us up. As a team, we stepped it up a bit.

I was literally just a few days away from taking a guaranteed two-year deal from my Spanish team. And I would have been fine with that because I was providing for my family.

I think every time we've played them when they turn on the pressure, we get loose with the ball and make a couple turnovers and they get a run going. We've got to limit turnovers, especially going to Detroit. Their crowd is going to be probably the loudest it's ever been all season and we've got to be prepared for that.

Our offensive line was outstanding, our open field tackling was improved and our inside linebacker play was improved.

Some guys make enough money where they can afford to do that. But some of us have got to abide by the rules. I can't afford to lose a penny.

My management team and I remain firmly committed to strengthening McDonald's relevancy and continuing the momentum that began under Jim's leadership.

I thought I played pretty well. I missed some shots that I wanted to hit. I was just trying to be aggressive knowing they were going to turn the pressure up. I just wanted to attack their pressure.

I'm starting to get a lot more confidence in my game. I'm playing a lot more and I'm gaining more confidence and getting more comfortable on the court. Everyone was making their shots and it was fun playing basketball tonight.

Whoever plays Lynden is uniquely challenged. It's a different ballgame. The main challenge is that it's a different kind of a game plan, a once-in-the-season test. I think we will respond well and have a bend-but-don't-break style.

Whoever plays Lynden is uniquely challenged, ... It's a different ballgame. The main challenge is that it's a different kind of a game plan, a once-in-the-season test. I think we will respond well and have a bend-but-don't-break style.

You just can't relax on him. You just have to stay in your defensive stance. If he sees you relax, he's going to take advantage of it.

We don't come out and play the entire game with intensity and with energy. And now it's coming back to hurt us. Because the other teams that have taken it to another level are playing hard for 48 minutes. And when you don't play hard for 48 minutes, it's starting to show now.

We captured the momentum when we answered their seven points with 20 of our own in the first half,

We can still get that fifth spot. This is a game that can turn around our whole season.

We haven't been doing that well against the West this year. It was nice after beating Atlanta to come to the Mile High City and run them out of their gym.

We're not stopping here, ... We're intent on driving positive results in the U.S. and Europe and implementing new initiatives in Asia and Latin America. I am confident of another good year in 2004.

We wore 'em down. I think our depth bothered them.

We've got a lot of guys who are pretty business-oriented and like to dress up,

This was a very positive first game for us,

This was a big game. This was the one we wanted to have out of all of them.

When I was sitting in Spain, you would read about it (triple-double) but you never think it will happen to you. When you come from where I've come from, you just have to enjoy it.

We tried to push the tempo a little bit more. T.J. did a great job pushing the ball up the court and I just tried to get open. It's big when someone else steps up (instead of Michael Redd).

We tried to push the tempo a little bit more in the third and T.J. did a great job pushing the ball up the court. I knew if I could get open with his penetration, (Portland) would collapse and he would kick out to me. Then it's just up to me to hit the shots and that's what I did.

We talked about it today as far as neutralizing their bench. We've got to go out there - me, Mo, Joe, Dan and Toni - and maintain the intensity.

We just self destructed with turnovers and those illegal procedures, ... All those things would take us out of our game plan. Our pass offense was not as sharp as it had been tonight.

We feel we can move the football on them. We have good leadership in that offensive line. We just need to play our defense, be alert, do our techniques well and swarm the ball. We have to tackle well in the open field. We were much improved from Game 1 to Game 2 in that respect.

We are a symbol of America, a proud symbol of America, ... We were born here and have been transplanted all around the world with a bit of different local flavor and flair, and when people are looking for symbols of America, companies like ours do pop up from time to time. But we take this very seriously.

We didn't know how physical he'd become, because we don't beat up our kids in practice, ... He had to play himself into showing us, and one game in midseason he came up and made a great tackle along the edge. From that point on, I think that answered our questions.

Bonner was a man among boys tonight. He made big play after big play. He was our stopper.

Brian Bonner played as good a defensive game as anyone has played in my four years at Anacortes.

Billups is not going to run you off a lot of screens. He's kind of a rock-you-to-sleep guy. He's one of those guys you think he's not doing anything, and he crosses you over real quick and goes to the hole. He's so strong. If he gets a step on you, you're dead.

Coming from Michigan State, I was more of a role player,

Even if it's not NBA players, the United States still has great players.

There was a loose ball, and he shot it from 3 or 4 feet beyond the line, like it was nothing.

Sometimes you try and not let him get the ball, but they throw it up there, there's nothing you can do.

As CEO, I intend to maintain the discipline and focus that Jim put into place, ... The best way to pay tribute to Jim is in sticking with our plan to win.

The way we've been playing lately, it's probably one of the biggest games of the season so far. It's a thing that you know we can still get that fifth spot, and it's a game that can turn around our whole season.

This doesn't happen every night. Everybody just got comfortable. Once you start hitting a couple, everybody gets that confidence, and our confidence was really hot.

They surprised us with an unbalanced line and a quick snap. It took us a drive to figure it out.

They have a really good team and those guys off the bench played hard. We wanted to take care of business, no matter who was out there.

They had a lot of speed, and they ran the ball well, ... They ran the ball mostly to the outside. That'll be our challenge, to stop their outside running.

They are a very fast team, capable of scoring a lot of points. They have a half dozen really fast (players), and they're wide open. They like to run outside. They have a quarterback with a strong arm who likes to throw to multiple receivers.

They're running a new offense. I call it the Utah shotgun option. They'll throw about 40 passes and they have good receivers. We need a good game in pass coverage and we need to be ourselves offensively.

At halftime we stressed ball control and getting physical.

It was a team effort. If we play the way we do in the second half in the first half, we would be an unstoppable team.

It just happened. It's not something that happens every day. I never thought that I could get one in the NBA, but I'm proud of it. And hopefully I'm not done getting them.

It's fun to improve after you have had a good game like we did. We've had a good week of practice ... They've kept their focus well.

It was one of those nights when nothing went right. We tried to get back in the game. We just didn't have it in the tank.

They came in here and got one, we feel we can go there and get one.

They were a little more prepared for what we were doing after halftime. They made some good adjustments.

They were playing the best they could play and we were still in there, we were only 10 down, ... We knew they were going to start missing and once they did we just kept going, we just kept working as a team offensively and defensively. The game is 40 minutes not 10.

They have to stop us, and we believe we can score on anybody. They've got a tough job as well.

It was a fun game when you're hitting shots like that. We knew they played last night. New Jersey played really well against them and we knew they were going to be a little tired. In the third quarter we just tried to keep pushing, just keep running at them. Defensively they're not the best team.

It was a fun game when you're hitting shots like that. In the third quarter we just tried to keep pushing, just keep running at them. Defensively they're not the best team.

These outstanding sales increases demonstrate that consumers are responding positively to our better tasting food, new menu offerings, energetic, targeted marketing and improved operations and service.

I'm really happy because I've been working hard overseas the last couple of years to get back to the NBA. The last time I was in the league, it was a learning experience, but now I'm ready to contribute and to help the Bucks win.

I have no second thoughts about the decision.

I'm back into my defensive mode. I'm trying to stop guys, especially this time of year. We've got a lot of guys that are scoring now. Somebody has to be a leader defensively, and I'm just trying to take that role.

I just tried to get up on him and I knew he was going to go for the three. I just wanted to make it tough for him and I think I got a little too close and him being Paul Pierce, he is going to get that call.

I know my game has come a long way. I'm not even nervous before the games. I feel like I'm ready.

By keeping our focus on our customers, McDonald's competitive position is strengthening, ... McDonald's U.S. performance for the month and quarter was particularly impressive considering the hurricanes and heavy rains.

I don't know. It's one of those calls that if it's somebody else, he wouldn't get that call. But it's Paul Pierce. . . . I think I touched him. I don't think I fouled him. But he's Paul Pierce and he's going to get those kinds of calls.

He's very athletic. Sometimes you try and not let him get the ball, but they throw it up there and there's nothing you can do. Tonight he had it going. He hit some shots that he probably wouldn't normally make, those type of shots you hit when you're only in a zone.

I came from the bottom, and now I'm at the top. So I'm just going to try to enjoy it while I can and take everything in and get better everyday.

I could tell on the bus ride that we weren't focused on the game. It took us a quarter to get it, but from that point on we played well.

He's got a knack for catching the football, whenever it's throw in his direction. He also runs really intelligent patterns and pays attention to detail.

He's maybe the best point guard in the league right now.

You come back from the (All-Star) break, and everybody is upbeat and ready to go. To start with a loss wasn't something we planned on doing.