If the 1980s were about quality and the 1990s were about reengineering, then the 2000s will be about velocity.

Cutting through complexity to find a solution runs through four predictable stages: determine a goal, find the highest-leverage approach, discover the ideal technology for that approach, and in the meantime, make the smartest application of the technology that you already have - whether it's something sophisticated, like a drug, or something simpler, like a bednet.

With a public library card in your hand, you have access to the Internet and a world of opportunities.

There won't be anything we won't say to people to try and convince them that our way is the way to go.

America's high schools are obsolete. By obsolete, I don't just mean that they're broken, flawed, or underfunded, though a case could be made for every one of those points. By obsolete, I mean our high schools-even when they're working as designed-cannot teach all our students what they need to know today.

I don't think I would have spent time learning about the immune system if understanding vaccines weren't something I considered very important.

If you go back to 1800, everybody was poor. I mean everybody. The Industrial Revolution kicked in, and a lot of countries benefited, but by no means everyone.