From The Rebellious CEO, which was published this month by Melville House. Sol Price was the founder of Price Club, whose parent company merged with Costco in 1993.

Sol Price never spoke of the past, neither about his business successes and adventures, nor his upbringing, family, or personal life. In nearly a dozen meetings and dinners I had with Sol, he always spoke and asked about the present and the future. The only exception was to recall his jokes. One of his favorites was delivered at a gathering of big-box discount store executives, including the Walmart founder Sam Walton and top managers from Costco, Kmart, Target, Home Depot, and Staples, who praised Sol as the father of this gigantic retail revolution. He replied, “I should have worn a condom.”