“I believe one of the most important skills you need is the ability to recognize the right people to work with. Without a team you can trust to make things happen, it's physically impossible to manage all the different aspects of your job—a leader is only the tip of the iceberg.”

— Tommaso Volpe

The quote archive

Wisdom in fragments

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

While many investors were caught in this crisis, the leading economists in the world saw it coming.

— Kenneth Murray

The past 10 days have been 'the most dramatic in Wall Street's 216-year history' seeing Lehman Brothers collapse, AIG fall into critical distress, and the US Federal Reserve creating a c. US$1 Trillion rescue plan to 'save the world'.

— Kenneth Murray

The artificiality and unsustainability comes in when loans are made to customers who cannot repay those loans, and without sufficient regulatory control.

— Professor Wim Naudé

Economics professor specializing in entrepreneurship, innovation, and development in Africa

Monetary support for development in itself will not accelerate growth in the real economy to artificial or unsustainable levels. It is how the finance is used – or misused.

— Professor Wim Naudé

Economics professor specializing in entrepreneurship, innovation, and development in Africa

Consider for instance that the bulk of the world's foreign exchange reserves – trillions of dollars – are held by developing economies, and that the US runs a current account and budget deficit of astronomical proportions.

— Professor Wim Naudé

Economics professor specializing in entrepreneurship, innovation, and development in Africa

The essence of the evolving global economic system is that all countries are dependent on one another in some way, and this includes finance. Emerging and developing countries are dependent on capital inflows from developed regions. But developed regions are also dependent on funds from the developing world!

— Professor Wim Naudé

Economics professor specializing in entrepreneurship, innovation, and development in Africa

There is something about the female psyche which is intensely social, and the most trivial conversations become part of the process of bonding. They may appear trivial but there will be a lot more un-stated below the surface - a form of commitment.

— Robin Dunbar

Evolutionary Psychologist Known for Dunbar's Number Theory

If you imagine the archetypal social environment we have, probably until the beginning of the twentieth century, we saw our network, our community, every day. If a relative emigrated, we lost track of them very quickly and the family link disappeared as it was a very 'up front' person to person relationship.

— Robin Dunbar

Evolutionary Psychologist Known for Dunbar's Number Theory

Modern society, specifically the modern economy, is very mobile. Our friendships and social networks become very quickly dispersed. At any one time, we build friendships and relationships with people and, for example, due to work, move on.

— Robin Dunbar

Evolutionary Psychologist Known for Dunbar's Number Theory

Like all primates, we are an intensely social species, and having our friends, cohorts, and acquaintances close is important to our general success. In these senses 'keeping the wheels oiled' is critical, hence why we like gossip, and hence why biographies and fiction so wildly outsell anything else in the books market.

— Robin Dunbar

Evolutionary Psychologist Known for Dunbar's Number Theory

The price of technology comes down every year, year after year, and I see no immediate end in sight to that process. What this means is that the poorest people in the world will soon have the possibility to access the Internet in some form, and eventually will have 'ordinary' access to it.

— Jimmy Wales