What advice would you give your twenty-year-old self, and what should they ignore?
Recorded Henry R. Kravis said elsewhere, not written here
When I went through school, I was in a hurry. I was an economics major as an undergraduate, and I was a finance major in graduate school. I was in a hurry to succeed when I got out in the business world. I’m sorry I didn’t take more courses in the humanities and in history and in the arts.

Academy of Achievement interview, 12 February 1991 source ↗

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Indra Nooyi Chief executive of PepsiCo, 2006–2018
Never give up your passion for learning. And zoom out of your field before you zoom in. Some of my very best business insights have come from reading around subjects. They have come from approaching questions at a strange angle, from thinking about them from a different point of view. A lot of the knowledge that has really given me an edge in business has come from history, psychology, even chemistry. Connecting seemingly unconnected dots is what has served me well.
Recorded Wake Forest University commencement, 2011 source ↗
Susan Butcher Dog musher; four-time winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
But whenever you do find something — maybe it’s not as passionate for you as dog mushing has been for me — but the fact that you have any interest, that is what you should go with.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, 29 June 1991 source ↗
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Novelist and essayist
All over the world, girls are raised to be make themselves likeable, to twist themselves into shapes that suit other people. Please do not twist yourself into shapes to please. Don’t do it. If someone likes that version of you, that version of you that is false and holds back, then they actually just like that twisted shape, and not you.
Recorded Wellesley College 137th Commencement, 29 May 2015 source ↗
Benazir Bhutto Prime Minister of Pakistan, 1988–1990 and 1993–1996
I’d tell them, “If you believe in something, go for it, but know that when you go for it there’s a price to be paid. Be ready to pay that price and you can contribute to the welfare of society, and society will acknowledge you and respect you for it. And don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid.”
Recorded Academy of Achievement recorded interview, American Academy of Achievement, 27 October 2000 source ↗

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Question Which teacher, parent, coach or friend most made you who you are, and what did you learn from them? Relationships
I had a teacher who was a great influence on me, when I was in boarding school at Loomis, Jim Wilson. He was my economics teacher and he was also my dorm head. I didn’t know what economics was before I took this course. I was really moved by the course. I was moved by him. That’s probably one of the reasons I chose the field of business.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview source ↗

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