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Reader question: Please explain this sentence – “Customer satisfaction is one of our core values,” – and “core values” in particular. My comments: It simply means that making a customer happy is very important to them. If you value something, your car for example, you think it’s important to you. Values in plural, on the other hand, refer to your collection of principles, that is, your ideas about right and wrong and what is important in life. The core is the innermost part of fruit such as an apple. Core values therefore refer to values that you cling closest to heart. In other words, core values are things that are most important, things you won’t give up as easily as, say, you may give up your car. Consider, for example, this Don Williams song (I believe in you): I don’t believe in superstars, Organic food and foreign cars. I don’t believe the price of gold; The certainty of growing old. That right is right and left is wrong, That north and south can't get along. That east is east and west is west. And being first is always best. But I believe in love. I believe in babies. I believe in Mom and Dad. And I believe in you. You may say the things he believes in are his core values, i.e. love, babies, mom and dad and, not to forget, you. | 
