Bill Gates Biography
Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (37) | Personal Quotes (14)
Bill Gates a child was very competitive, curious, and depth thinker. His parents decided to enroll him in the private preparation school, Lakeside School. Gates soon excelled at Lakeside, where he made himself oriented to a wide variety of subject ranging from Math, Science, English Literature and even becoming a superb Drama student. Bill Gates surrounded by historical events at a young age was inspired.
Born-October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington, USA
Birth Name-William Henry Gates III
Nickname-Tre
Height-5' 9½" (1.77 m)
Residence-Medina, Washington, US
Alma mater-Harvard University
Years active-1975–present
Net worth-US$89.2 billion (October 2017)[1]
Title -Technology Advisor of Microsoft
Co-Chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,CEO of Cascade Investment,Chairman of Branded Entertainment Network,Chairman of TerraPower,Board member of Microsoft Berkshire Hathaway
Spouse(s)-Melinda Gates (m. 1994)
Children-3
Mini Bio (1)
Born William Henry III is an American entrepreneur, business mogul, investor, philanthropist, and widely known as one of the most richest and influential people in the world. William Henry III was born to attorney, William Henry II and teacher, Mary Maxwell Gates in Seattle, Washington, USA.
In 1969, Apollo 11 took men to the moon, this involved huge computers, and which cost billions of research dollars to function and operate. A computer during that era, was very genuine to have. However, Lakeside had gotten a deal with the city of Seattle and received, this became Bill Gates first encounter toward a computer.
Bill Gates would spend hours,upon hours at the computer room at the high-school, and he eventually met a man named,Paul Allen whom shared the same interests as Bill Gates. Bill Gates in 1973 graduated, Lakeside and was accepted by the prestigious University Of Harvard. Gates during his years at Harvard University never had a definite career plan, for some time he thought of pursuing a career in law for the admiration he had with politics, but his true craze was staying up all day and night with the computer.
Bill Gates met Steve Ballmer whom would soon join Gates in his venture to start his own company, Microsoft. This all started when Paul Allen, Bill's former school mate moved to Boston from Seattle for a job. Paul Allen picked up a magazine at Harvard Square which read, "World's First Minicomputer Kit To Rival Commercial Models" to Bill Gates and Paul Allen this was the moment they had been waiting for, the dawn of personal computer had begun. Ed Roberts who ran this phenomenal product was looking for someone to do further programming to it.
Bill Gates and Allen Paul soon took on this task and this partnership with Ed Roberts eventually led to the first product made by Microsoft the Altair BASIC. "Microsoft" was created in 1976 Altair BASIC was an programming language which ran on the MITS Altair 8800. Gates due to the success of Altair BASIC decided to drop out of Harvard and never returned to complete his studies. Microsoft was located in Albuquerque from 1976 to 1979. In 1979 they relocated their location to Bellevue Washington on January,1,1979.
Microsoft began to expand and specialize in languages such as Basic,Cobol,Fortan,and Pascal. With this expansion and Microsoft having hit the one million dollar profit margin mark, it was a matter of time until a big-shot computer creative company came knocking at their door. That company was IBM.
The partnership IBM and Microsoft developed was a pivotal role which defined technology, to what it has become today. It established what Gates had predicted, every home in America would have one computer per household. IBM wanted an operating system for their new line of personal computers. Bill Gates bought an operating system in which he renamed, MS-DOS for IBM. He received profit from IBM for every MS-DOS product made, as IBM didn't own the licensing fee, and Gates refused to give it to them.
The partnership with Bill Gates and Paul Allen soon ended, due to Paul being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. Their partnership would be seen as one which defined the technology field world-wide. This made Gates the sole-man in the Microsoft empire. In 1985, Microsoft had generated 140 million dollars in sales in just that year alone.
In 1986, Bill Gates introduced Microsoft Windows it would be come one of the most used operating systems in history, and one of the most advanced. Apple around this time, came up with an ingenious software, Gates advised them to have a copyright, however Apple was more focused on selling computers, this prompted Gates to take advantage of an open opportunity. At the age of 31, Gates became a billionaire owning 45% of his stock.
Bill Gates always had insecurities, even if he at such a peak. IBM soon to separate from MS-DOS with the success of their sales, decided to create their own operating system which it licensed from Microsoft called Dos2. OS2 eventually failed as Gates decided to invest his name and the entire future of Microsoft to advancing the Windows operating system, even if it meant losing IBM as a client. He came out with Windows 3.0 which turned out be a best market seller. Microsoft was soon becoming a monopoly, and Gates started receiving the reputation of being ruthless,and unfair.
Gates was accused for practicing unfair marketing practices, and a case with the Department Of Justice Division Anti Trust Department was opened. Microsoft would receive royalty fee because of a "per-processor" license Microsoft had which stated, for each computer a microprocessor is sold; a royalty payment must be made. Regardless, if it was a Microsoft operating system or not. Operating Equipment Manufacturers saw this as unfair, this would lead him further to be a monopoly, which no software company liked. Apple had no way of competing, IBM had no way of competing, it was Microsoft receiving these royalty fees even for a non-Microsoft Operating System which most manufactures thought was most unfair. Microsoft agreed to stop charging the fees and the Department Of Justice dropped the case.
Bill Gates's mother died shortly after their marriage of breast cancer. Bill Gates because of the influence his mother had on him, created philanthropic organizations that fought certain causes, and was pursuing the interests his mother had. In 1995, Windows 95 was introduced, Bill Gates at this time slowed down on his work with Microsoft as he became a family man, welcoming his first daughter he had with his wife, Melinda French. Netscape came out with a browser which allowed you to access the world of internet. This was a realm, Microsoft had yet to embark.
Netscape sales soared through the roof, while Microsoft was behind. Microsoft then promptly released the web-browser Explorer. With the success of Explorer Gates had yet to know he would be receiving a nation-wide law-suit which would cost Microsoft millions. Gates was charged with practicing unlawful conduct, and running a illegal monopoly in 1998. An anti-trust suit along with president Bill Clinton's Justice Department filed a anti-trust suit which would be seen as the most severe lawsuit's related to the technology field. Bill Gates to save his company stepped down from Microsoft as the CEO and allowed Steve Balmer to be CEO. Bill Gates was the Chairman.
Bill Gates changed the way the world operates,functions, Gates made life easier for humans to live in. To get tasks done within seconds at a time, creating several multitasking software programs. Bill Gates will forever be remembered as a business man, philanthropist, and investor. Bill Gates with multiple products unleashed with his company Microsoft, allowed the technology field to expand and become more competitive,always setting the stakes much higher, and presented a field with endless surprises.
Enjoys playing golf and bridge.
As of 2005, his personal fortune was in excess of $46 billion.
His company, Microsoft, went public on 28 October 1985, his 30th birthday.
Dropped out of Harvard University in 1975 to devote himself full-time to Microsoft.
Has endowed a foundation that has given several billion dollars to various charitable and educational projects.
Is an avid reader.
His personal wealth exceeds the Gross National Product (GNP) of some Third World countries.
Became a billionaire (US dollars) at age 31, making him the youngest self-made billionaire in history.
Derided by critics as "Chairman Bill" after Chinese Communist leader Zedong Mao, who was popularly known as "Chairman Mao." In a March 2002 poll of over 1,600 teenagers in Hong Kong and mainland China by researchers at the City University of Hong Kong, Gates outranked Mao as the person they idolized the most.
Children: Jennifer Katharine (26 April 1996), son Rory John (23 May 1999), Phoebe Adele (14 September 2002)
Has a measured IQ of 160, signifying genius intelligence.
Has been the richest man in the world consistently every year since 1998 except for 2010 and 2011, when he was surpassed by Carlos Slim Helu. Bill was again ranked the richest man for 2012.
Made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II on March 2, 2005. Because he is not a British citizen, he may not use the title Sir, but is allowed to put KBE after his name.
As of March 2006, the 12th year in a row as #1 on Forbes' list of The World's Richest People, with a net worth exceeding $50 billion (US).
His dad was friends with Wilbert Saunders, (1908-2006), who founded World Concern with Jim McCoy. At first, the company started as a small business called Medicinces for Missions, then was renamed World Concern in 1973. Gates attended Wilbert Saunders' funeral.
Mentioned in the song "High School Never Ends by Bowling for Soup, as "captain of the chess team".
Forbes magazine estimated Microsoft chief's net worth at $53 billion, making him the world's richest American. Friend Warren Buffett came in second place with a net worth fortune estimated at $47 billion. [February 2010]
He and his wife, Melinda Gates, were both awarded the 2010 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding.
He has two sisters, one older and one younger.
He is now Chairman and Chief Software Architect.
Bill and Melinda were married in Lanai (Hawaii) where the 100+ guests included Warren Buffett, Katherine Graham, Paul G. Allen and Craig McCaw. Singer-songwriter Willie Nelson entertained the guests at the wedding reception.
Shares birth date with Digby Jones, Indra Nooyi, and Gary Lavergne.
Purchased a Bombardier BD-700 private jet for $40 million.
As of 9/28/2015 and given his current estimated net worth of $79,200,000,000, Bill has made an average of ~$41.80 every second of his life.
Owns a Porsche 911 Carrera valued at $149,720.00.
Owns a 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe, only 337 cars of this type were ever made in the world.
Purchased the Codex Leicester written by Leonardo da Vinci for $30.8 million, which documents various scientific findings and writings that he conducted and discovered over the course of his lifetime.
Purchased the Lost on the Grand Banks oil painting and was bought in 1998 for a record US $36 million.
His net worth as of November 2016 is 81.1 billion.
Pledged to donated 95% of his Net Worth to Charity.
His home in Wellington, Florida cost $13.5 million, 4 bathrooms, and 4 bedrooms, 3 acres of horse tracks and a horse arena to hold shows.
While at Harvard he read an article from the magazine Popular Electronics about Altair mini computer which convinced him to drop out and co-found Microsoft corporation.
In 1997 he was arrested for driving without a license and not stopping at a stop sign.
His 66,000 square foot mansion has a lake front view, has seven bedrooms, 24 bathrooms including 10 full bathrooms, cost $63 million and seven years to build.
His horse ranch in Rancho Paseana San Diego cost $18 million, is 228 acres property has a racetrack, hundreds of horse stalls and two guest homes.
Is rumored to own the island Grand Boyue Caye, Belize.
Named his mansion Xanadu, which is inspired from the film, Citizen Kane (1941).
Personal Quotes (14)
Microsoft was founded with a vision of a computer on every desk, and in every home. We've never wavered from that vision.
In terms of doing things I take a fairly scientific approach to why things happen and how they happen. I don't know if there's a god or not, but I think religious principles are quite valid.
Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.
It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.
If you can't make it good, at least make it look good.
I am a strong proponent of measuring teachers' effectiveness, and my foundation works with many schools to help make sure that such evaluations improve the overall quality of teaching. But publicly ranking teachers by name will not help them get better at their jobs or improve student learning. On the contrary, it will make it a lot harder to implement teacher evaluation systems that work.
At Microsoft, we created a rigorous personnel system, but we would never have thought about using employee evaluations to embarrass people, much less publish them in a newspaper. A good personnel system encourages employees and managers to work together to set clear, achievable goals. Annual reviews are a diagnostic tool to help employees reflect on their performance, get honest feedback and create a plan for improvement. Many other businesses and public sector employers embrace this approach, and that's where the focus should be in education: school leaders and teachers working together to get better.
Developing a systematic way to help teachers get better is the most powerful idea in education today. The surest way to weaken it is to twist it into a capricious exercise in public shaming. Let's focus on creating a personnel system that truly helps teachers improve.
Members of the Harvard Family: Here in the Yard is one of the great collections of intellectual talent in the world. What for purpose? There is no question that the faculty, the alumni, the students, and the benefactors of Harvard have used their power to improve the lives of people here and around the world. But can we do more? Can Harvard dedicate its intellect to improving the lives of people who will never even hear its name? Let me make a request of the deans and the professors-the intellectual leaders here at Harvard: As you hire new faculty, award tenure, review curriculum, and determine degree requirements, please ask yourselves: Should our best minds be dedicated to solving our biggest problems? Should Harvard encourage its faculty to take on the world's worst inequities? Should Harvard students learn about the depth of global poverty... the prevalence of world hunger... the scarcity of clean water ...the girls kept out of school... the children who die from diseases we can cure? Should the world's most privileged people learn about the lives of the world's least privileged?
if we can stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or at least make a living, serving people who are suffering from the worst inequities. We also can press governments around the world to spend taxpayer money in ways that better reflect the values of the people who pay the taxes. If we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity in the world.
Humanity's greatest advances are not in its discoveries-but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity-reducing inequity is the highest human achievement
I am an optimist. But I am an impatient optimist. The world is getting better, but it's not getting better fast enough, and it's not getting better for everyone
So we began our work in the same way anyone here would begin it. We asked: "How could the world let these children die?" The answer is simple, and harsh. The market did not reward saving the lives of these children, and governments did not subsidize it. So the children died because their mothers and their fathers had no power in the market and no voice in the system.
But you and I have both. We can make market forces work better
[about reading] The biggest problem I have is that I refuse to stop reading a book in the middle, even if I don't like it. And the more I dislike a book, the more time I take to write margin notes. That means I sometimes spend more time reading a book that I can't stand than a book that I love.
Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (37) | Personal Quotes (14)
Born-October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington, USA
Birth Name-William Henry Gates III
Nickname-Tre
Height-5' 9½" (1.77 m)
Residence-Medina, Washington, US
Alma mater-Harvard University
Years active-1975–present
Net worth-US$89.2 billion (October 2017)[1]
Title -Technology Advisor of Microsoft
Co-Chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,CEO of Cascade Investment,Chairman of Branded Entertainment Network,Chairman of TerraPower,Board member of Microsoft Berkshire Hathaway
Spouse(s)-Melinda Gates (m. 1994)
Children-3
Mini Bio (1)
Born William Henry III is an American entrepreneur, business mogul, investor, philanthropist, and widely known as one of the most richest and influential people in the world. William Henry III was born to attorney, William Henry II and teacher, Mary Maxwell Gates in Seattle, Washington, USA.
In 1969, Apollo 11 took men to the moon, this involved huge computers, and which cost billions of research dollars to function and operate. A computer during that era, was very genuine to have. However, Lakeside had gotten a deal with the city of Seattle and received, this became Bill Gates first encounter toward a computer.
Bill Gates met Steve Ballmer whom would soon join Gates in his venture to start his own company, Microsoft. This all started when Paul Allen, Bill's former school mate moved to Boston from Seattle for a job. Paul Allen picked up a magazine at Harvard Square which read, "World's First Minicomputer Kit To Rival Commercial Models" to Bill Gates and Paul Allen this was the moment they had been waiting for, the dawn of personal computer had begun. Ed Roberts who ran this phenomenal product was looking for someone to do further programming to it.
Bill Gates and Allen Paul soon took on this task and this partnership with Ed Roberts eventually led to the first product made by Microsoft the Altair BASIC. "Microsoft" was created in 1976 Altair BASIC was an programming language which ran on the MITS Altair 8800. Gates due to the success of Altair BASIC decided to drop out of Harvard and never returned to complete his studies. Microsoft was located in Albuquerque from 1976 to 1979. In 1979 they relocated their location to Bellevue Washington on January,1,1979.
Microsoft began to expand and specialize in languages such as Basic,Cobol,Fortan,and Pascal. With this expansion and Microsoft having hit the one million dollar profit margin mark, it was a matter of time until a big-shot computer creative company came knocking at their door. That company was IBM.
The partnership IBM and Microsoft developed was a pivotal role which defined technology, to what it has become today. It established what Gates had predicted, every home in America would have one computer per household. IBM wanted an operating system for their new line of personal computers. Bill Gates bought an operating system in which he renamed, MS-DOS for IBM. He received profit from IBM for every MS-DOS product made, as IBM didn't own the licensing fee, and Gates refused to give it to them.
The partnership with Bill Gates and Paul Allen soon ended, due to Paul being diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. Their partnership would be seen as one which defined the technology field world-wide. This made Gates the sole-man in the Microsoft empire. In 1985, Microsoft had generated 140 million dollars in sales in just that year alone.
In 1986, Bill Gates introduced Microsoft Windows it would be come one of the most used operating systems in history, and one of the most advanced. Apple around this time, came up with an ingenious software, Gates advised them to have a copyright, however Apple was more focused on selling computers, this prompted Gates to take advantage of an open opportunity. At the age of 31, Gates became a billionaire owning 45% of his stock.
Bill Gates always had insecurities, even if he at such a peak. IBM soon to separate from MS-DOS with the success of their sales, decided to create their own operating system which it licensed from Microsoft called Dos2. OS2 eventually failed as Gates decided to invest his name and the entire future of Microsoft to advancing the Windows operating system, even if it meant losing IBM as a client. He came out with Windows 3.0 which turned out be a best market seller. Microsoft was soon becoming a monopoly, and Gates started receiving the reputation of being ruthless,and unfair.
Gates was accused for practicing unfair marketing practices, and a case with the Department Of Justice Division Anti Trust Department was opened. Microsoft would receive royalty fee because of a "per-processor" license Microsoft had which stated, for each computer a microprocessor is sold; a royalty payment must be made. Regardless, if it was a Microsoft operating system or not. Operating Equipment Manufacturers saw this as unfair, this would lead him further to be a monopoly, which no software company liked. Apple had no way of competing, IBM had no way of competing, it was Microsoft receiving these royalty fees even for a non-Microsoft Operating System which most manufactures thought was most unfair. Microsoft agreed to stop charging the fees and the Department Of Justice dropped the case.
Bill Gates's mother died shortly after their marriage of breast cancer. Bill Gates because of the influence his mother had on him, created philanthropic organizations that fought certain causes, and was pursuing the interests his mother had. In 1995, Windows 95 was introduced, Bill Gates at this time slowed down on his work with Microsoft as he became a family man, welcoming his first daughter he had with his wife, Melinda French. Netscape came out with a browser which allowed you to access the world of internet. This was a realm, Microsoft had yet to embark.
Netscape sales soared through the roof, while Microsoft was behind. Microsoft then promptly released the web-browser Explorer. With the success of Explorer Gates had yet to know he would be receiving a nation-wide law-suit which would cost Microsoft millions. Gates was charged with practicing unlawful conduct, and running a illegal monopoly in 1998. An anti-trust suit along with president Bill Clinton's Justice Department filed a anti-trust suit which would be seen as the most severe lawsuit's related to the technology field. Bill Gates to save his company stepped down from Microsoft as the CEO and allowed Steve Balmer to be CEO. Bill Gates was the Chairman.
Bill Gates changed the way the world operates,functions, Gates made life easier for humans to live in. To get tasks done within seconds at a time, creating several multitasking software programs. Bill Gates will forever be remembered as a business man, philanthropist, and investor. Bill Gates with multiple products unleashed with his company Microsoft, allowed the technology field to expand and become more competitive,always setting the stakes much higher, and presented a field with endless surprises.
Enjoys playing golf and bridge.
As of 2005, his personal fortune was in excess of $46 billion.
His company, Microsoft, went public on 28 October 1985, his 30th birthday.
Dropped out of Harvard University in 1975 to devote himself full-time to Microsoft.
Has endowed a foundation that has given several billion dollars to various charitable and educational projects.
Is an avid reader.
His personal wealth exceeds the Gross National Product (GNP) of some Third World countries.
Became a billionaire (US dollars) at age 31, making him the youngest self-made billionaire in history.
Derided by critics as "Chairman Bill" after Chinese Communist leader Zedong Mao, who was popularly known as "Chairman Mao." In a March 2002 poll of over 1,600 teenagers in Hong Kong and mainland China by researchers at the City University of Hong Kong, Gates outranked Mao as the person they idolized the most.Children: Jennifer Katharine (26 April 1996), son Rory John (23 May 1999), Phoebe Adele (14 September 2002)
Has a measured IQ of 160, signifying genius intelligence.
Has been the richest man in the world consistently every year since 1998 except for 2010 and 2011, when he was surpassed by Carlos Slim Helu. Bill was again ranked the richest man for 2012.
Made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II on March 2, 2005. Because he is not a British citizen, he may not use the title Sir, but is allowed to put KBE after his name.
As of March 2006, the 12th year in a row as #1 on Forbes' list of The World's Richest People, with a net worth exceeding $50 billion (US).
His dad was friends with Wilbert Saunders, (1908-2006), who founded World Concern with Jim McCoy. At first, the company started as a small business called Medicinces for Missions, then was renamed World Concern in 1973. Gates attended Wilbert Saunders' funeral.
Mentioned in the song "High School Never Ends by Bowling for Soup, as "captain of the chess team".
Forbes magazine estimated Microsoft chief's net worth at $53 billion, making him the world's richest American. Friend Warren Buffett came in second place with a net worth fortune estimated at $47 billion. [February 2010]
He and his wife, Melinda Gates, were both awarded the 2010 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding.
He has two sisters, one older and one younger.
He is now Chairman and Chief Software Architect.
Bill and Melinda were married in Lanai (Hawaii) where the 100+ guests included Warren Buffett, Katherine Graham, Paul G. Allen and Craig McCaw. Singer-songwriter Willie Nelson entertained the guests at the wedding reception.
Shares birth date with Digby Jones, Indra Nooyi, and Gary Lavergne.
Purchased a Bombardier BD-700 private jet for $40 million.
As of 9/28/2015 and given his current estimated net worth of $79,200,000,000, Bill has made an average of ~$41.80 every second of his life.
Owns a Porsche 911 Carrera valued at $149,720.00.
Owns a 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe, only 337 cars of this type were ever made in the world.
Purchased the Codex Leicester written by Leonardo da Vinci for $30.8 million, which documents various scientific findings and writings that he conducted and discovered over the course of his lifetime.
Purchased the Lost on the Grand Banks oil painting and was bought in 1998 for a record US $36 million.
His net worth as of November 2016 is 81.1 billion.
Pledged to donated 95% of his Net Worth to Charity.
His home in Wellington, Florida cost $13.5 million, 4 bathrooms, and 4 bedrooms, 3 acres of horse tracks and a horse arena to hold shows.
While at Harvard he read an article from the magazine Popular Electronics about Altair mini computer which convinced him to drop out and co-found Microsoft corporation.
In 1997 he was arrested for driving without a license and not stopping at a stop sign.
His 66,000 square foot mansion has a lake front view, has seven bedrooms, 24 bathrooms including 10 full bathrooms, cost $63 million and seven years to build.
His horse ranch in Rancho Paseana San Diego cost $18 million, is 228 acres property has a racetrack, hundreds of horse stalls and two guest homes.
Is rumored to own the island Grand Boyue Caye, Belize.
Named his mansion Xanadu, which is inspired from the film, Citizen Kane (1941).
Personal Quotes (14)
Microsoft was founded with a vision of a computer on every desk, and in every home. We've never wavered from that vision.
In terms of doing things I take a fairly scientific approach to why things happen and how they happen. I don't know if there's a god or not, but I think religious principles are quite valid.
Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.
It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.
If you can't make it good, at least make it look good.
I am a strong proponent of measuring teachers' effectiveness, and my foundation works with many schools to help make sure that such evaluations improve the overall quality of teaching. But publicly ranking teachers by name will not help them get better at their jobs or improve student learning. On the contrary, it will make it a lot harder to implement teacher evaluation systems that work.
At Microsoft, we created a rigorous personnel system, but we would never have thought about using employee evaluations to embarrass people, much less publish them in a newspaper. A good personnel system encourages employees and managers to work together to set clear, achievable goals. Annual reviews are a diagnostic tool to help employees reflect on their performance, get honest feedback and create a plan for improvement. Many other businesses and public sector employers embrace this approach, and that's where the focus should be in education: school leaders and teachers working together to get better.
Developing a systematic way to help teachers get better is the most powerful idea in education today. The surest way to weaken it is to twist it into a capricious exercise in public shaming. Let's focus on creating a personnel system that truly helps teachers improve.
Members of the Harvard Family: Here in the Yard is one of the great collections of intellectual talent in the world. What for purpose? There is no question that the faculty, the alumni, the students, and the benefactors of Harvard have used their power to improve the lives of people here and around the world. But can we do more? Can Harvard dedicate its intellect to improving the lives of people who will never even hear its name? Let me make a request of the deans and the professors-the intellectual leaders here at Harvard: As you hire new faculty, award tenure, review curriculum, and determine degree requirements, please ask yourselves: Should our best minds be dedicated to solving our biggest problems? Should Harvard encourage its faculty to take on the world's worst inequities? Should Harvard students learn about the depth of global poverty... the prevalence of world hunger... the scarcity of clean water ...the girls kept out of school... the children who die from diseases we can cure? Should the world's most privileged people learn about the lives of the world's least privileged?
if we can stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or at least make a living, serving people who are suffering from the worst inequities. We also can press governments around the world to spend taxpayer money in ways that better reflect the values of the people who pay the taxes. If we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity in the world.
Humanity's greatest advances are not in its discoveries-but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity-reducing inequity is the highest human achievement
I am an optimist. But I am an impatient optimist. The world is getting better, but it's not getting better fast enough, and it's not getting better for everyone
So we began our work in the same way anyone here would begin it. We asked: "How could the world let these children die?" The answer is simple, and harsh. The market did not reward saving the lives of these children, and governments did not subsidize it. So the children died because their mothers and their fathers had no power in the market and no voice in the system.
But you and I have both. We can make market forces work better
[about reading] The biggest problem I have is that I refuse to stop reading a book in the middle, even if I don't like it. And the more I dislike a book, the more time I take to write margin notes. That means I sometimes spend more time reading a book that I can't stand than a book that I love.
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