The returns from investing in poor people are just as great as the returns from investing in the business world... and have even more meaning
Bill GatesEnergy is very primal stuff and there are a lot of leads that are promising, still at a fairly risky stage, but over the next decade some of these breakthrough approaches are going to pay out, and U.S. research and U.S. leadership on this should be part of how it gets solved.
Bill GatesWe need to get a broader awareness. People say climate change is really bad, but painting that picture of what you're putting at risk.
Bill GatesGlobalization has made copper and other minerals more valuable, and Ghana and Kenya have recently discovered mineral resources.
Bill GatesA top-quartile teacher will increase the performance of their class - based on test scores - by over 10 percent in a single year. ... That means that if the entire U.S., for two years, had top-quartile teachers, the entire difference between us and Asia would go away.
Bill GatesWe're very enthused about the idea that in the third trimester we actually give the mother a vaccine and her antibodies, the protective things that the immune system makes, actually pass through to the baby, both when the baby is born, and through the mother's milk. Because the baby's immune system is actually not very strong for that first few months, using the mother's immune system to do this - it's a very exciting idea and something that we're investing heavily in.
Bill GatesWe got a malaria initiative, really a phenomenal time, even though in the early stages there was some uncertainty. Then of course [Barack] Obama, although he had budget constraints, he believed in these things; a lot of new initiatives, including in agriculture.
Bill GatesIf we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity in the world. This task is open-ended. It can never be finished. But a conscious effort to answer this challenge will change the world.
Bill GatesWhen you have the medical advances you think will they be available to everyone. Will they not just be for the rich world or even just the rich people and the rich world? Will they be for the world at large?
Bill GatesWith world health, every life you save is a wonderful thing, so it's not this question of whether you solve it or you don't. The chance of completely solving the problems has long odds. But really, the thing is that you get to save the first child, the second child, the third child. You can just feel good about that.
Bill GatesWhen you program, you want to think you're writing the best possible program for the... for the task you're trying to solve.
Bill GatesWe always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction.
Bill GatesMusic, even with these dial-up connections you have to the Internet, is very practical to download.
Bill GatesIf you take from the most wealthy and give to the least wealthy, it's good. It tries to balance out.
Bill GatesI am not a huge gamer. My son knows a LOT more than I do about what is cool on Xbox. I played Halo but the sports games that the whole family can use are the things I use the most. I threw the javelin very very far!
Bill GatesThe outpouring of support from millions of people in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti has been impressive.
Bill GatesIn fact, that's where my vision of the coming digital opportunity is somewhat different from other people's. I divide it into three parts. One is the office. That's the one I'm most excited about and is the most concrete.
Bill GatesPrograms today get very fat; the enhancements tend to slow the program down because people put in special checks. When they want to add some feature, they’ll just stick in these checks without thinking about how they might slow the thing down.
Bill GatesThe phenomenal generosity of the United States in its aid budget towards health issues is the best in the world. You can look at that broadly, you can look at it in terms of HIV, the PEPFAR money which came together in a Republican administration with bipartisan support.
Bill GatesWhenever you have multiple devices including multiple PCs that you want to share information with, it's always been a bit complicated.
Bill GatesMaintaining a consistent platform also helps improve product support - a significant problem in the software industry.
Bill GatesNever before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in so short a time.
Bill GatesI want to make clear that we respect the role of government in our legal andeconomic system.
Bill GatesIn almost every area of human endeavor, the practice improves over time. That hasn't been the case for teaching.
Bill GatesThe world is very disparate, in terms of the US using the most energy per person, and then the other rich countries - Europe, Japan, New Zealand - using about half of what we do, and then the world average being about a fifth of what we use, with China just now surpassing the world average.
Bill GatesThe ability of a successful company to add functionality to its product has long been upheld.
Bill GatesBitcoin is mostly about anonymous transactions, and I don't think over time that's a good way to go. I'm a huge believe in digital currency... but doing it on an anonymous basis I think that leads to some abuses, so I'm not involved in Bitcoin.
Bill GatesThere's always a tricky issue when you get into stolen material or pornography. The laws for online publishing the same as for print-based publishing, where if you're hosting certain types of things and somebody notifies you about that.
Bill GatesThere's a basic philosophy here that by empowering...workers you'll make their jobs far more interesting, and they'll be able to work at a higher level than they would have without all that information just a few clicks away.
Bill GatesThe spread of online information isn't just good for charities. It's also good for donors. You can go to a site like Charity Navigator, which evaluates nonprofits on their financial health as well as the amount of information they share about their work.
Bill GatesMicrosoft has some assets like Office that have stayed strong and there's so much room for innovation in those.
Bill GatesA lot of people assume that creating software is purely a solitary activity where you sit in an office with the door closed all day and write lots of code.
Bill GatesUnderstanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.
Bill GatesWe really have to work hard to remind people even though this is far away, that's it's probably the most generous thing governments have ever come together to do. Since World War II, this new institution is the only one that's emerged and is saving all these lives.
Bill Gates