“Because of connectivity, India has increased mobility. People from Orissa work in Gujarat, people from Gujarat can start businesses elsewhere. Because of telecommunications, a farmer can now get information on seeds and fertilisers.”
— Dr. Sam Pitroda
Telecom Pioneer & Advisor to Indian Government on Technology Policy

The quote archive

Politics

A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.

In the West, politicians will say anything and not care about it- they'll be out of office by the time they would be held to account. The Chinese tend to under-promise and over-perform, they don't want to lose face.

— James Thornton

Environmental lawyer and founder of ClientEarth

In China, we have been working closely with the Chinese Supreme Court prosecutors and administrative environment. In the last two years, these prosecutors have initiated over 100,000 cases- they do things in a big way- and want to transform the landscape such that companies know they will get hammered if they don't comply.

— James Thornton

Environmental lawyer and founder of ClientEarth

If you or I buy an organic veggie-burger, that's great, but we're swimming against billions in subsidies. These are changes which will require government action at the highest level, consumer action alone will not get us there.

— James Thornton

Environmental lawyer and founder of ClientEarth

We can't only rely on consumers making individual choices. If you switched your energy to someone who told you they are selling you 100% renewable energy, that's great, but it doesn't shift the energy system to renewables. You need to have energy markets that are designed to encourage investment into renewable energy.

— James Thornton

Environmental lawyer and founder of ClientEarth

Music is also incorruptible in many ways. I can hear when music isn't authentic, or when it isn't coming from the heart and soul. Music is a pure, universal, language that can transcend boundaries at a time. Particularly now, when politicians are using semantics to erect more boundaries, music continues to be more and more relevant.

— Nitin Sawhney

British-Indian composer and musician known for world music and film scores

One of the most effective flip-floppers in American history was Abraham Lincoln. How lucky are we that he was willing to change that particular opinion? He stayed true to his values and adjusted his policies to advance those values.

— Adam Grant

Organizational psychologist & bestselling author on work culture and human potential

We need to be more nuanced about how we define integrity. For me, it's not about sticking to opinions, but about sticking to values. I'm very flexible about the best way to live those values.

— Adam Grant

Organizational psychologist & bestselling author on work culture and human potential

Too often when we find someone disagreeing with us, our question is about why. Why do you believe this ridiculous thing? What tends to work better is a how question… This kind of approach helps to view the real complexity of a situation and reveals gaps in knowledge.

— Adam Grant

Organizational psychologist & bestselling author on work culture and human potential

Thanks to monetary policy, business cycles are far less volatile today than they were in the 19th century, when we had huge swings. But if cryptocurrency takes over the way its proponents would like, we could return to the ups and downs of the pre-monetary policy era.

— Eric Maskin

Nobel Prize Winning Economist & Game Theory Pioneer

I should say right away that I am very much a cryptocurrency sceptic. My judgement is that the dangers of cryptocurrencies do not outweigh the benefits. Cryptocurrency can interfere with governments' ability to fight recessions with monetary policy. When people are using privately created money rather than ordinary money, the money supply is beyond the government's control, and monetary policy can no longer be conducted.

— Eric Maskin

Nobel Prize Winning Economist & Game Theory Pioneer

The rest of the world sees us as the country who had the biggest empire in the world, we don't. That creates a gap in understanding.

— Sathnam Sanghera

British journalist and author, wrote "The Boy with the Topknot

The idea that if you are proud to be British you need to be proud of British history is nonsensical. Does it mean you have to be proud of all of history? Of slavery? Of abolition of you? Or me? Or Lenny Henry? You might as well be proud of biology or jelly. It makes no sense…

— Sathnam Sanghera

British journalist and author, wrote "The Boy with the Topknot

We have a very strange relationship with empire, a combination of selective amnesia and nostalgia. The amnesia comes from the fact we mostly identify as the nation that won World War 2 not as the nation which had the greatest empire in human history. That helps us forget that there was at least a century where we were quite massively white supremacist and sometimes genocidal.

— Sathnam Sanghera

British journalist and author, wrote "The Boy with the Topknot

Whether we look at the rioters who converged on the capital, the Gamestop Redditors, Incels or Qanon followers, what they have in common is that they're groups of people who are lonely and craving community. Right wing populists have very effectively spoken to this feeling. Trump and Le Pen talk about the 'forgotten people' they say 'we hear you' – That fundamental need for human connection is missing for significant swathes of our population, and that's dangerous.

— Noreena Hertz

Economist & Author on Globalization, Corporate Power & Digital Society

Social media platforms are the tobacco companies of the 21st century, and they need to be regulated – especially when it comes to children. These platforms are selling a highly addictive product and continue to allow abuse and hatred on their platforms. Over 33% of all UK 18–24-year-olds have experienced abuse on Facebook.

— Noreena Hertz

Economist & Author on Globalization, Corporate Power & Digital Society

The neo-liberal capitalist mindset has also been a huge contributor to loneliness. Since the 1980s, alongside Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, a new form of economics came to the fore which enshrined the pursuit of self-interest over the pursuit of collective good. That generated the mindset we see today- me first, dog-eat-dog, greed is good… that inevitably begets a world where people feel less connected to each-other, more atomised, and many ended up feeling marginalised and unseen.

— Noreena Hertz

Economist & Author on Globalization, Corporate Power & Digital Society