“At the end of this century 40-50 years from now, the proportion of our world's population who live in the developing world will have gone from 15%, 200 years ago, to over 85% – we'll be left with a very different planet.”

— Michael Spence

Nobel Prize-winning economist; Stanford provost and NYU president

The quote archive

Wisdom in fragments

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

It is natural that a society would want to keep what they think works, the status quo. We are also acutely aware that technological changes alters society in unpredictable ways. It is the uncertainty associated with change—especially the fear of losing what we value—that leads to resistance to change.

— Professor Calestous Juma

Leading African innovation and development scholar at Harvard Kennedy School

We are born creative and often seek to transform our surroundings to suit our existence. Everything around us constantly changes and so creative options for adapting to this change become the only guarantee we have for a meaningful existence.

— Professor Calestous Juma

Leading African innovation and development scholar at Harvard Kennedy School

Ridicule, mockery and humour are some of the best tools of the powerless, they are weapons of the weak! Finding ways to intervene with levity and humour can build strength and sustain a movement. Humour is one of the most powerful weapons of non-violent resistance.

— L.A. Kauffman

The movements that sustain themselves the best over time are those that have culture at their core, that use art as a means of conveying a message, and use art-making as a means to mobilise a movement.

— L.A. Kauffman

People often think that the most important gauge of a protest's effectiveness is size, but I don't. The movements that have managed to keep a strong strategic focus, that have been persistent, and bold in their use of tactics, are the ones which make the greatest impact.

— L.A. Kauffman

History is full of changes that were only made because of direct action. In the US context, you need look no further than the civil rights movement. Racial segregation would not have been dismantled the way that it was, to the extent that it was without the work of grass roots movements who were prepared to take risks and break the law.

— L.A. Kauffman

If people really want to do something, all they need to do is meet someone who's built something from scratch to show them that it can be done by someone just like them. That's how I started.

— Dennis Crowley

Co-Founder of Foursquare, Location-Based Social Networking Pioneer

Different things energise different people. I get energised from building things that people like. I've met people who are totally motivated by being in the press, or motivated by money, and so many things… but for me, it's about making sure people enjoy the things we're building.

— Dennis Crowley

Co-Founder of Foursquare, Location-Based Social Networking Pioneer

With Foursquare, our original app was a good idea but it wasn't a hundred million users good idea. The data behind the app, and what we do with the data? That's our good idea. That's our hundred million dollars in revenue idea.

— Dennis Crowley

Co-Founder of Foursquare, Location-Based Social Networking Pioneer

I don't really like the term entrepreneur because I think to some it implies that you start businesses for the sake of starting businesses. My view is this. If there's something you want to see in the world that doesn't exist, go build that thing. If that means you have to build a company? so be it.

— Dennis Crowley

Co-Founder of Foursquare, Location-Based Social Networking Pioneer

Having attention as an entrepreneur is the ultimate business development tool, and business development is the backbone of any great business- it's important.

— Gary Vaynerchuk