I am Catholic, I was raised Catholic, I am a practicing Catholic. But I say we need to agree to disagree. We have a shared mission around poverty, and I focus on that, because we do a lot with the Catholic Church around poverty alleviation. I'm always looking for: what is the common thread? What do we care about? What do we believe in? We believe in women around the world. We believe in all lives have equal value.
Melinda GatesI care much more about saving the lives of mothers and babies than I do about a fancy museum somewhere.
Melinda GatesA woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.
Melinda GatesAny social or cultural change has to be made openly and with people agreeing. You don't get there by just pushing an outsider's point of view.
Melinda GatesWhen were you born, who are your parents, where did you grow up? None of us earns these things. These things were given to us. So when we strip away all of our luck and our privilege, and we consider where we'd be without them, it becomes much easier to see someone who's poor and say, "That could be me." And that's empathy.
Melinda GatesWe also look at farming. Are we making sure that we're getting the latest seeds out to women so they can get a bigger yield off of their farms? A new type of seed that gets out to a man, let's say, that's drought resistant - because, of course, the rains are changing in Africa with climate change - if you don't put it in the hands of a woman, she won't necessarily get it. We look at breaking down all those barriers.
Melinda Gates