On Life:

1. “Life is not fair; get used to it.”
2. “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”
3. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
4. “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
5. “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”

On Success:

6. “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”
7. “I failed in some subjects in exams, but my friend passed in all. Now he is an engineer at Microsoft, and I am the owner of Microsoft.”
8. “If you are born poor, it’s not your mistake. But if you die poor, it’s your mistake.”
9. “The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people.”
10. “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”

On Technology:

11. “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.”
12. “Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don’t think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without talking about the other.”
13. “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”
14. “The internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.”
15. “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.”

On Education:

16. “Education is the best provision for old age.”
17. “The best teacher is very interactive.”
18. “Teaching’s hard! You need different skills: positive reinforcement, keeping students from getting bored, commanding their attention in a certain way.”
19. “The U.S. education system is not adequately preparing a large proportion of its students for the 21st-century workplace.”
20. “I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions, they will be moved to act.”

On Leadership:

21. “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.”
22. “If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.”
23. “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
24. “I have been struck again and again by how important measurement is to improving the human condition.”
25. “A bad strategy will fail no matter how good your information is, and lame execution will stymie a good strategy.”

On Philanthropy:

26. “Philanthropy should be taking much bigger risks that business.”
27. “Philanthropy is about giving your time, expertise, and resources to improve the lives of others.”
28. “The belief that the world is getting worse, that we can’t solve extreme poverty and disease, isn’t just mistaken. It is harmfulto fight against and stifle progress.”
29. “The problem is not that people are selfish, but that our systems are designed to amplify selfishness.”
30. “The moral obligation to be intelligent applies to all areas of life, not just those that suit our passions or interests.”

On Innovation:

31. “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity, not a threat.”
32. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
33. “The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.”
34. “Innovation is moving at a scarily fast pace.”
35. “Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.”

On Entrepreneurship:

36. “Don’t compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself.”
37. “If you’re not stubborn, you’ll give up on experiments too soon. And if you’re not flexible, you’ll pound your head against the wall and you won’t see a different solution to a problem you’re trying to solve.”
38. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
39. “Great organizations demand a high level of commitment by the people involved.”
40. “I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions, they will be moved to act.”

On Personal Growth:

41. “I have been struck again and again by how important measurement is to improving the human condition.”
42. “If you are born poor, it’s not your mistake. But if you die poor, it’s your mistake.”
43. “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
44. “I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think that a great deal of that grew out of the fact that I had a chance to read a lot.”
45. “I’m a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they’re interested in.”

On Challenges:

46. “Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself.”
47. “The general idea of the rich helping the poor, I think, is important.”
48. “Don’t make the same decision twice. Spend time and thought to make a solid decision the first time so that you don’t revisit the issue unnecessarily.”
49. “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”
50. “The future of energy is going to be a mix of different sources.”

On Giving Back:

51. “I have been very lucky, and therefore I owe it to try and reduce the inequity in the world. And that’s kind of a religious belief.”
52. “It’s fine to have a celebration of success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”
53. “The belief that the world is getting worse, that we can’t solve extreme poverty and disease, isn’t just mistaken. It is harmful.”
54. “We have to find a way to make the aspects of capitalism that serve wealthier people serve poorer people as well.”
55. “If all my bridge coach ever told me was that I was ‘satisfactory,’ I would have no hope of ever getting better.”

On Wealth:

56. “Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point.”
57. “I’ve been very lucky, and therefore I owe it to try and reduce the inequity in the world.