Wisdom in fragments

All the market research we have done shows that consumers use diamonds to mark special moments in their lives because they are timeless, have been in the ground 3 billion years and are unique.

Diamonds are rare, there haven't been any major finds for over 20years, and there are no major mines on the horizon. Demand- particularly in China and India- is growing rapidly, and in the very near future we will see demand outpace plateauing supply.

More than just being a luxury item, they are pieces that represent milestone moments- that's why they're important.

The truth is nobody needs a diamond. You don't need a diamond to heat your home, run your car or power your cell-phone. As a business, it's clear to us that there is only one source of value for diamonds- and that is the consumer's desire for the product.

The cost of inaction far exceeds the cost of action. Every day we delay comprehensive HIV programs, we're not just counting dollars - we're counting lives.

We've transformed HIV from a death sentence to a manageable chronic condition, but prevention remains our greatest challenge. We need to reach the most vulnerable populations with the tools we have.

What makes HIV so challenging is its ability to integrate into the host genome and establish latency. This is why we haven't been able to cure it yet - the virus literally becomes part of us.

Co-discoverer of HIV as the cause of AIDS

The virus doesn't discriminate, but our response to it has. We've seen how stigma and discrimination have fueled this epidemic more than the virus itself ever could.

We are at a crossroads where we can either win this battle against HIV or we can lose it. The science is there, the tools are there, but what we need now is the political will and the resources to finish the job.

Former Executive Director of UNAIDS, leading global HIV/AIDS response efforts

The business plan is about management not exposition, it shows commitment to milestones.

Founder of Palo Alto Software and business planning expert

The plan is the lists, milestones and responsibilities- not the document that describes them.

Founder of Palo Alto Software and business planning expert

By far the most common is underestimating expenses. When industries do barely double-digits if their lucky, business plans ought not to be showing EBIT or EBITDA of 50-70% – that doesn't mean people are smart, it means they haven't understood the industry.

Founder of Palo Alto Software and business planning expert

The human species is different now to thirty years ago, we have an electronic extension to our DNA that gives so many distractions, so much multi-tasking, and so little time to focus on a single thought for any extended period of time.

Founder of Palo Alto Software and business planning expert

All forecasts are wrong- all business plans are wrong- but they're very useful for management. It's not just a one-time picture, it's an on-going story. You're looking for lines not dots about how a company proceeds.

Founder of Palo Alto Software and business planning expert

What makes Guantánamo so horrible is the fact that the majority of these men are innocent and have no hope of release in the future. Our government has made no concrete steps to releasing these men.

There were people transferred to Guantánamo who were sold for bounties, transferred there because of the watch they wore, where they slept or even just because they were Arabic men in Afghanistan. They were rounded up, brought to Guantánamo and many of them have remained there over 11 years.