Muhammad Yunus

Founder of Grameen Bank; Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 2006

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here
To me poor people are like bonsai trees. When you plant the best seed of the tallest tree in a flower-pot, you get a replica of the tallest tree, only inches tall. There is nothing wrong with the seed you planted, only the soil-base that is too inadequate. Poor people are bonsai people. There is nothing wrong in their seeds. Simply, society never gave them the base to grow on.

Nobel Peace Prize lecture, Oslo City Hall, The Nobel Foundation, 10 December 2006 source ↗

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Nithin Kamath Co-founder and chief executive of Zerodha
Sleep has to be, by far, the most underrated aspect of good health. I think sleeping less & working more is glorified. Life is like a marathon; if you run too fast and don't pace yourself, you can burn out, and you probably won't be able to finish strong.
Recorded Kamath's own social account, Nithin Kamath's blog, 30 December 2022 source ↗
Wangari Maathai Founder of the Green Belt Movement; Member of Parliament for Tetu, Kenya, 2002–2007; Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources 2003–2005
Initially, the work was difficult because historically our people have been persuaded to believe that because they are poor, they lack not only capital, but also knowledge and skills to address their challenges. Instead they are conditioned to believe that solutions to their problems must come from 'outside'.
Recorded Oslo City Hall, The Nobel Foundation, 10 December 2004 source ↗
Howard Marks Co-founder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management
In my opinion, the key to dealing with the future lies in knowing where you are, even if you can't know precisely where you're going. Knowing where you are in a cycle and what that implies for the future is very different from predicting the timing, extent and shape of the next cyclical move.
Recorded Oaktree memo, Oaktree Capital Management (client memo), 20 November 2001 source ↗
Serena Williams United States professional tennis player, 1995–2022
I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don't think it's fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be writing this because I'd be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.
Recorded First-person essay, Vogue September 2022 issue, 9 August 2022 source ↗

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Question What bad recommendations do people in your field repeat too often? Craft & work
I am in favor of strengthening the freedom of the market. At the same time, I am very unhappy about the conceptual restrictions imposed on the players in the market. This originates from the assumption that entrepreneurs are one-dimensional human beings, who are dedicated to one mission in their business lives − to maximize profit.
Recorded Nobel Peace Prize lecture, Oslo City Hall, The Nobel Foundation, 10 December 2006 source ↗
Question If you could put a message on a giant billboard, what would it say and why? Time & hindsight
In a poverty-free world, the only place you would be able to see poverty is in the poverty museums. When school children take a tour of the poverty museums, they would be horrified to see the misery and indignity that some human beings had to go through. They would blame their forefathers for tolerating this inhuman condition, which existed for so long, for so many people.
Recorded Nobel Peace Prize lecture, Oslo City Hall, The Nobel Foundation, 10 December 2006 source ↗

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