Society

Society must demand that you comport yourself within a framework of rules. Once those rules break, society breaks down.

Creator and star of TV show "Judge Judy" for 25 years

We need to be saying, '…fuck you! Stop pouring itching powder over me!' It's like someone is pouring itching powder over us, all day, every day. The same person pouring itching powder over us is also the person saying, 'mate… try this meditation app….'

Journalist and author known for books on addiction and depression

I don't think it's a coincidence that globally, we're having the biggest crisis of democracy since the 1930s. At the same time as we're finding it hard to focus and pay attention, we also can't listen to each other and sustain our attention on collective problems.

Journalist and author known for books on addiction and depression

What we think of as important today is rarely what really matters. In 10 years' time, you're not going to regret using the wrong Instagram filter, or not getting enough likes on a social media post. You will however, regret not reaching out to someone before it was too late.

Author of "Drive" & Leading Work Culture Expert

In our modern world, everyone has an opinion about everything; and it's powerful to step back and go, 'you know what… I genuinely don't have an opinion about that…' – taking that position is seen as most terrible in today's day and age, but if you really work to dismantle all the things you think you are, you'll probably find you don't have an opinion about so many things.

British Radio & TV Presenter, Model & Wellness Author

My wish would be that if we discover another civilisation, it will teach us that the differences between us humans are insignificant, and that we should treat each other with respect, as equal members of the same species. When you're not the smartest kid on the block any more, you maybe don't feel so significant.

Harvard astrophysicist who studies interstellar objects and extraterrestrial life

The real important fact is that consumers would rather choose a sustainable product or service from a transformed business over others. The young people are going to have to live in that future, and they are not part of the solution because they are not at the decision table and hence are increasingly voting with their money.

All inequality is not created equal. An intersectional approach shows the way that people's social identities can overlap, creating compounding experiences of discrimination.

As a collective, we tend to look at progress as being linear, especially where it concerns women's rights. This is a huge mistake and breeds complacency because we risk losing the hard-won gains.

To understand what we're facing in the 21st century, we need to look back in history. It has not always been the case that women were considered inferior or subordinate to men. The myth of women's inferiority is the product of a social system that has produced and fostered countless other inequalities, inferiorities, degradations, and discriminations.

A resilient position means that you are not always on the brink of war. The cost of war is so great that being on the brink is a deeply uncomfortable place to be. We have to make leaders and societies pay more attention to the costs of conflict.

Economist specializing in conflict, development, and poverty research

Social media has decreased distance and that means that we are just as passionately bothered about things on the other side of the world, as we are things in our home town. Social media transparency has had, and is having, a huge impact on stakeholder visibility.

Editor of Fortune Magazine & Wall Street Journal columnist

Being authentic is a privilege. Not everyone has the ability or luxury to do this. Sometimes as leaders, we need to speak less and listen more, to make room for other voices to be centred. We rein in our authenticity by being more adaptive so others can fill this space with their authenticity.

Canadian actress known for role in "Quantico" TV series

As children we experience a domestication process the same way animals do, where rather than having who we are, our authenticity, our essence unlocked for us, instead we have put upon us layers and layers of rules. We take this very complicated, confusing, and demoralising code of behaviour into our adulthood with us.

Canadian actress known for role in "Quantico" TV series

I've known many individual monkeys and apes, and I'm struck by how much diversity and gender diversity there is which I have been ignoring. We always look for typical behaviours… a typical male does X… a typical female does Y. We overemphasise the typicality of men and women. If we start looking in primates, we'll almost certainly find the same sort of gender diversity we find in humans.

Primatologist & behavioral psychologist who studies animal cognition and emotions

In society, we assume (still) that male dominance is natural, and that males will make better leaders. We see no evidence of that in primates. We assume (still) that homosexual behaviour isn't natural, but we find homosexual behaviours in all primates. In some of our closest species- such as the bonobo- it's extremely common, perhaps as common as heterosexual behaviour.

Primatologist & behavioral psychologist who studies animal cognition and emotions