I had come to a stage in life where I didn't need to earn an income, I didn't need to earn a reputation, I didn't need fame, I didn't need any of the things you might want in your early career.
Nicholas NegroponteComputer science departments have always considered 'user interface' research to be sissy work.
Nicholas NegroponteGoogle has a very powerful and new advertising model that, for them, prints money.
Nicholas NegroponteEverybody agrees that whatever the solutions are to the big problems, they ... can never be without some element of education.
Nicholas NegroponteOne of the basics of a good system of innovation is diversity. In some ways, the stronger the culture (national, institutional, generational, or other), the less likely it is to harbor innovative thinking. Common and deep-seated beliefs, widespread norms, and behavior and performance standards are enemies of new ideas. Any society that prides itself on being harmonious and homogeneous is very unlikely to catalyze idiosyncratic thinking. Suppression of innovation need not be overt. It can be simply a matter of peoples walking around in tacit agreement and full comfort with the status quo.
Nicholas Negroponte