Wisdom in fragments

I'm very old-fashioned in the sense that I still feel you need a strong manufacturing sector in your economy. I was saying that in the late 1970's and early 80's and people just laughed at me. I think my day is about to turn.

For me, one of the big gaps is youth entrepreneurship. There are a high number of young people who want to set-up businesses, but there is a huge gap between their aspirations/intentions and the actual delivery of setting up a business.

For every example I could give you of regulations causing problems, I could give you two of regulations creating opportunities. I think this notion that regulation is causing problems is a real red herring.

It's clear to me that small businesses, particularly micro-enterprises, have been responsible for the majority of the gross job creation in the last five years… particularly through the recession.

There are a handful of families that own a very substantial degree of the economy including several companies on the stock exchange... The positive effect is through stabilising- it's very difficult for speculators to short stock here or to play tricks on the exchanges... there are simply not enough shares in free-float to do that.

Mathematician & Topologist, Solved the 4-Dimensional Poincaré Conjecture

If you are a VC or into angel investing, you can come here and literally just set up a stand in a coffee shop with a sign saying 'looking for start-ups' and you would have a string of people coming in all day long... you could literally sit in that coffee shop from now until next year and you wouldn't get close to touching the sides.

Mathematician & Topologist, Solved the 4-Dimensional Poincaré Conjecture

Bill Gates of Microsoft is on-record as saying, '...Microsoft would not function as a company in the way that it does without operations in Israel.' Intel also have a number of substantial R&D facilities here... All the chips also have Hebrew biblical names which are the original names of the chips as they are developed in laboratories here in Israel.

Mathematician & Topologist, Solved the 4-Dimensional Poincaré Conjecture

Warren Buffet has only bought one business outside the USA and that's in Israel... During the due-diligence process, Hezbollah landed rockets in the car park of the main factory he was buying! The factory owners said to Buffet that they would totally understand if he wanted to postpone the due-diligence if he perceives a risk and he said, '...as far as I'm concerned any business that's up and running within an hour of having mortars land in their car park is a pretty resilient company...'

Mathematician & Topologist, Solved the 4-Dimensional Poincaré Conjecture

What's remarkable about Israel's economy is that in the last few years we have situations which, in any other country, would have been totally disruptive. In the last couple of months alone we have seen literally hundreds of missiles and mortars fired at us from one of our neighbours... The incredible thing is that none of these threats have a measurable impact on our economy!

Mathematician & Topologist, Solved the 4-Dimensional Poincaré Conjecture

…discrimination on the basis of sex, it has been said, is the last universally accepted form of discrimination, practiced without secrecy or pretence even in those liberal circles that have long prided themselves on their freedom from prejudice against racial minorities.

Philosopher Known for Work on Animal Rights & Effective Altruism

…the question is not can they reason? Or can they talk? …But can they suffer?

Founder and President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

This is the most inefficient system you could possibly imagine. It takes 6-10Lbs of grain or fodder to go into an animal and, in turn, yield 1Lb of protein.

Founder and President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

You actually see behaviours that show this when people say, 'Oh don't show me that photograph or film, I can't bear to watch that because I love my steak!' When else would we say that? Would you hear people saying, 'oh don't show me those child labour photographs because I love my nighties!' These behaviours are an admission that we know something is wrong.

Founder and President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

To me the question is, why are we denying them the obvious rights they should have? They are flesh and blood, they feel pain as we do, they experience joy, they have their own behaviours and their own languages among themselves that they understand and we don't. They have maternal instincts and look after each other as we do… it's not an intellectual thing when a mother protects her child; it's an instinctive behaviour.

Founder and President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

An increasingly number of companies see their brand as the platform for running their business. The brand creates an identity for the product and/or company in the marketplace. It requires the company to think deeply about its mission, vision, and values. The company has to work hard at developing the image that it wants customers to have of the offering. The brand must not only convince prospective customers and draw them to the brand but also be deeply believed in by the employees and other stakeholders of the company.

Father of Modern Marketing & Prolific Management Author

It's clear to me that small businesses, particularly micro-enterprises, have been responsible for the majority of the gross job creation in the last five years... particularly through the recession....