Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL Interviews the world's leading thinkers, and the people shaping the century.

In this interview I speak to the ‘Stoic Capitalist,’ Robert Rosenkranz, Chairman of Delphi Capital Management (an investment concern with more than $40 billion in assets under management) and the founder of a group of investment and private equity partnerships. Rising from working class origins to self-made billionaire and pioneer…

 

In this interview, I speak to Bob Bordone, an internationally recognized expert, author, speaker, and teacher in negotiation, conflict resolution, mediation, and facilitation. Recently named one of the Top 30 Negotiation Professionals, Bob is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School, where he served as a full-time faculty member for…

 

In this interview I speak to Ellen J. Langer, Harvard’s first tenured female psychology professor and a trailblazer in social psychology, who has spent over 45 years upending assumptions about the human mind. Known for her groundbreaking “counterclockwise” study—where elderly men reversed signs of aging by living as their younger…

 

In this interview I speak to Nissan Formula E Team Principal, Tommaso Volpe. Formula E is the world’s sole all-electric single-seater FIA World Championship and provides an elite motorsports platform for automotive manufacturers to accelerate EV innovation while delivering races in the heart of some of the world’s most iconic…

 

In this interview, I speak to Donn Davis, Chairman and Co-Founder of the Professional Fighters League and Founding Partner of Revolution. Donn is a proven investor, entrepreneur, and company-builder in media, digital, gaming, and sports. Together with Steve Case, he co-founded Revolution in 2005, a Washington DC based venture capital…

 

Professor Brian Cox is widely recognized as the foremost communicator for science, cosmology and astronomy in the world, and is Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Manchester, The Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science and a Fellow of the Royal Society. In this interview, we discuss…

 

Explore an archive of more than 3,000 quotes.

On the night of my 30th birthday, I was at a bar in San Francisco... I walked out of that bar at midnight, drunk. I didn't even own running gear, I had some comfortable silk boxer shorts on – took off my pants – and took off down an alleyway stumbling south without knowing that a town called Half Moon Bay was nearly 30 miles away. When the alcohol wore off, I had this epiphany. I looked up and saw heaven – I saw the stars – it was the first moment of clarity I had since I'd given up running. It made me realise that perhaps I was on this earth to be a runner – I wasn't happy being a business guy, it was making me miserable. I was comfortable, but miserable.

— Dean Karnazes
Ultramarathon runner known for extreme endurance feats and adventures

There is very little that matters more in democracy, than truth. I think cynicism is dangerous - that's a self-fulfilling prophecy as well. That's a very dangerous position, and I think we've got to fight cynicism.

— Robert Reich
Labor Secretary & Economist; Leading Voice on Inequality

Only 8.5% of projects meet or exceed their time and budget expectations. This means that a staggering 91.5% fail to stay within budget or meet deadlines. However, when we consider delivering promised benefits, a mere 0.5% achieve this goal within the allocated budget and timeframe.

— Bent Flyvbjerg
Leading researcher on megaprojects, planning, and governance expert

It's not even about achieving something – it's about changing mindset. At that age, kids can go strongly in one direction or another in life, and being able to give them a steer is a huge accomplishment.

— Lindsey Vonn
Olympic Alpine Skier with Most World Cup Wins by Female Athlete

Our story, our fight, the story of President Zelenskyy… these all come together in the story of how everyone is capable of more than the world expects of them.

— Kira Rudik
Ukrainian politician and head of Servant of the People party faction

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Long-form Interviews with the World's Leading Thinkers — Thought Economics


The Wisdom Series

Ten in-depth articles distilling insights from over 550 interviews with the world's leading thinkers, creators, and changemakers.

The Wisdom of Leadership The Wisdom of Entrepreneurship The Wisdom of Creativity The Wisdom of Technology The Wisdom of Meaning The Wisdom of the Mind The Wisdom of Justice The Wisdom of Science The Wisdom of Geopolitics The Wisdom of Health
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