Wisdom in fragments

So, without thinking it through, I got a tourist visa and flew to Moscow. I didn't consider the repercussions or how risky it could be—I just did it. If Stein could go to Moscow, so could I. Others had gone there, and I knew tourists were allowed. So I went as a tourist, and we'd figure things out from there.

Tetris video game rights holder & Blue Planet Project founder

I looked at it and thought, 'How can something this simple be so compelling?' It was compelling enough for me to take time out of the Consumer Electronics Show to go back and play over and over. I mean, I was hooked from the first time I played it. I couldn't explain what was going on.

Tetris video game rights holder & Blue Planet Project founder

When the first real version of the game came to life on my screen—without any decorations, scoring, or anything, just the playing field and the pieces—I couldn't stop playing. I realized there was something truly magical about the game. But I could never have imagined what it would become; that was one of the biggest surprises.

Creator of Tetris, the iconic video game

At one point, while working on the rotation routine, I was watching a piece rotate on the screen. It was then that the idea struck me—the game could be played in real-time. That was the very first important 'aha' moment for Tetris.

Creator of Tetris, the iconic video game

One of the most powerful business skills is the ability to listen, not just act. As entrepreneurs and business leaders, if we're going to focus on what truly matters, it starts with understanding what matters.

Founder and former CEO of Panera Bread Company

Too often, organizations become like frogs in boiling water—gradually losing their competitiveness because everyone is afraid to take risks. The short-term pain of taking a risk seems more daunting than the long-term consequences, even though the long-term pain could be the loss of competitive advantage and, ultimately, the entire value of the enterprise.

Founder and former CEO of Panera Bread Company

As a large company CEO, I believe one of the most critical roles is driving innovation and transformation. In fact, the CEO has to be the 'Discoverer in Chief.' Over time, a divide often forms between the discovery people and the delivery people. The language of discovery is imaginative and poetic—'imagine if,' 'what if we tried this?'—while the language of delivery is pragmatic and data-driven—'prove it to me,' 'show me the numbers.'

Founder and former CEO of Panera Bread Company

Being an entrepreneur, or even running a large organization, is like being a society builder. The system is bigger than any individual. You can take the same person, place them in different environments—like the old Soviet Union versus the UK or the US—and get completely different outcomes. It's about the system.

Founder and former CEO of Panera Bread Company

If you don't love the act of doing, you'll never find happiness. If your motivation is glory or money, you're bound to be disappointed. If you're more excited about lunch with investment bankers or the Harvard Club than dealing with the day-to-day realities—like working with bakers or being deeply involved in the entity—you'll end up unhappy.

Founder and former CEO of Panera Bread Company

I believe that the entrepreneurial life, even when running a large company, is a dual experience of joy and pain—two sides of the same coin. The joy lies in putting yourself out there and leading an organisation in a specific direction, but with that comes the burden of responsibility.

Founder and former CEO of Panera Bread Company

Think about how that feels when you're told that for this essential skill that is part of the astronaut job, you're not needed. It's as if they were saying, 'You don't bring anything essential and we won't miss you.' That encouragement pushed me to show up to spacewalking meetings I wasn't initially invited to.

NASA Astronaut & Space Shuttle Mission Specialist

I told them, 'My mom is visiting from Ohio today. If you can look her in the eye and tell her it's impossible to build a place for me to stay on the space station during my mission, then we're done here. If not, we have more to discuss.' They suggested my mom come to dinner instead, and we ended up going to Home Depot together.

NASA Astronaut & Space Shuttle Mission Specialist

I believe that a mission can be something grand, but it doesn't have to be. Many people say, 'I'm just busy living my life, and I don't have time for some grand mission.' But I think a mission is present for almost everyone if they take the time to look for it. I think that if you care about something, then you have a mission.

NASA Astronaut & Space Shuttle Mission Specialist

Mental resilience is supported by practice and preparation, but it also comes from knowing, deep down, that you're supposed to be where you are. Confidence in your purpose is crucial. By focusing on the next step, and then the one after that, while keeping the big picture in mind, you can effectively accomplish the mission.

NASA Astronaut & Space Shuttle Mission Specialist

Everyone has important skills and likely unique skills, but they may not always be as confident in those skills as they should be. We need to challenge the notion that if you don't feel like a superhero, then you must not be the right person for the job. Being underestimated in that way often brings out the best in me. For me, it's not just about overcoming insecurity but leveraging it as a catalyst to ensure that I bring everything I have to the mission.

NASA Astronaut & Space Shuttle Mission Specialist

How many CEOs or heads of government agencies have taken the trouble today to say, 'Who are my five most-thoughtful antagonists? How have I reached out to them, and what efforts do I have in place to create a listening community across those antagonists for when I really need it when the crisis hits?'