Bill Gates turns 68 today. The Microsoft (MSFT) cofounder and former CEO is the longest-reigning world’s richest person for more than 20 years until being dethroned by Amazon cofounder Jeff Bezos in 2017. He is still among the five wealthiest people on the planet, with an estimated net worth of $122 billion. Aside from his astronomical wealth, Gates is also known his passions for science, philanthropy and books and his bold (and sometimes controversial) stance on public issues like climate change and health care.
Since retiring from Microsoft in 2008, Gates has spent most of his time running his family nonprofit, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest of its kind in the U.S., and investing in high-tech startups. He is also an avid blogger and social media user, recommending books every Christmas and hosting “Ask Me Anything” sessions once a year on Reddit.
Here are Gates’ top 10 quotes that inspire business and life decisions:
- “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” —1995 book The Road Ahead
- “Unhappy customers are always a concern. They’re also your greatest opportunity.” —1999 book Business @ The Speed of Thought
- “Surround yourself with people who challenge you, teach you, and push you to be your best self.” —Instagram post, Sept 4, 2018
- “Everyone needs a coach. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast, or a bridge player…We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” —TED Talk, April 2013
- “You are not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack.” —2023 Commencement address at Northern Arizona University
- “The development of A.I. is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone. It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other. Entire industries will reorient around it. Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it.” —GatesNotes blog, March 21, 2023
- “If you show people the problems and you show people the solutions they will be moved to act.” —Net fuels Live 8 extravaganza, BBC News, July 4, 2005
- “I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars. There’s certain meaningful freedom that comes with that but once you get much beyond that, I have to tell you, it’s the same hamburger.” Q&A panel at the University of Washington, October 27, 2011.
- “The key on climate is making the clean products as cheap as the dirty products in every area of emission—planes, concrete, meat etc… This is the only way we can ask all the countries in the world to change. If it costs a lot extra we won’t succeed.” Reddit AMA, January 11, 2023
- “My advice is simple: Read a lot and discover a skill you enjoy. For some, that means being great at science or a great communicator. There’s so much opportunity to do good in the world.” —LinkedIn post, May 2022