Bill Gates

“My son likes to go see mines and electric plants, or the Large Hadron Collider, and we've had a chance to see a lot of interesting stuff.”

“Software is a great combination between artistry and engineering.”

“The 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.”

“The common thread for everything I do is this idea of a Web-services architecture. What does that mean? It means taking components of software and systems and having them be self-describing, so that you can aim them, ask them what their capabilities are, and communicate with them using a standard protocol.”

“Effective philanthropy requires a lot of time and creativity - the same kind of focus and skills that building a business requires.”

“Well, no one gives aid to Zimbabwe through the Mugabe government.”

“I'm certainly well taken care of in terms of food and clothes.”

“In low-income countries, getting to a health post is hard. It's very expensive.”

“If you're low-income in the United States, you have a higher chance of going to jail than you do of getting a four-year degree. And that doesn't seem entirely fair.”

“The nuclear industry has this amazing record, even equipment from generations one and two. But nuclear mishaps tend to come in these big events - Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and now Fukushima - so it's more visible.”

“If you can't make it good, at least make it look good.”

“One of the statistics that always amazes me is the approval of the Chinese government, not elected, is over 80 percent. The approval of the U.S. government, fully elected, is 19 percent. Well, we elected these people and they didn't elect those people. Isn't it supposed to be different? Aren't we supposed to like the people that we elected?”

“In poor countries, we still need better ways to measure the effectiveness of the many government workers providing health services. They are the crucial link bringing tools such as vaccines and education to the people who need them most. How well trained are they? Are they showing up to work?”

“In business, the idea of measuring what you are doing, picking the measurements that count like customer satisfaction and performance... you thrive on that.”

“If you're using first-class land for biofuels, then you're competing with the growing of food. And so you're actually spiking food prices by moving energy production into agriculture.”

“I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user.”

“I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars; there's a certain freedom, meaningful freedom, that comes with that.”

“The 'Billionaire' song is what my kids tease me with. They sing it to me. It's funny.”

“Nigeria has moved into low-middle-income, but their north is very poor, and the health care systems there have broken down.”

“Philanthropy should be taking much bigger risks that business. If these are easy problems, business and government can come in and solve them.”

“I like the idea of putting your Christmas wish list up and letting people share it.”