When you're working on development issues, optimism is not always based on rational analysis, often it is a moral choice.

Today there are a lot places where people say they're just hopeless. If I can come from a hopeless country, get an education, become a hyphenated American and become president of the World Bank, it's my moral duty to make sure that every single person on the planet has that opportunity.

A lot of young people dont think they can make a difference. Thats really what I am at Dartmouth to do. Im there to tell the young people, Look, a few committed souls can change the world.

Ending poverty and ensuring sustainability are the defining challenges of our time. Energy is central to both of them.

Water and sanitation has not had the same kind of champion that global health, and even education, have had.

If we do not act to curb climate change immediately, we will leave our children and grandchildren an unrecognizable planetIt is the poor, those least responsible for climate change and least able to afford adaptation, who would suffer the most.

Unless you invest in people, you are not going to see growth in the long term, the medium term, and maybe even the short term.