Philosophy

The only way you can experience the cosmic is by enhancing your perception. If your doors of perception are enhanced, everything becomes cosmic.

Yoga Guru & Founder of Isha Foundation

I think the fundamental thing about art is that it's a place where you can be honest about the human condition without having to be practical about it.

British sculptor known for large-scale iron body cast installations

We are one big, beautiful, dysfunctional and incredible family, tearing itself apart over something as inconsequential as our hue.

Racism, like sexism and any other form of discrimination, is an utterly futile exercise… nobody benefits. Societies are better for diversity in all forms, and time and time again we've seen that the more homogenous people become, the less they are able to flourish.

Every human being on the planet- genetically- is 99.9 percent identical. Of the remaining 0.1 percent, only 10-15% accounts for the differences we see between asserted 'races' of humans.

The difference now is that our actions are not isolated. Developments in communication mean that we now engage in a subtle yet continual process of peer-review which assesses the morality of our conduct as societies and individuals.

I am a proud Jamaican who can run fast and make people smile. I try to be myself whether I am hanging out with my friends or on the world stage. I try to enjoy life and treat people with respect.

Jamaican Sprinter & Olympic Gold Medalist, Fastest Human Ever

I have shown that anything is possible. I always tell people not to limit themselves. Find out what you are good at or interested in and work hard to be successful in that. Have fun when you are doing it and life is better.

Jamaican Sprinter & Olympic Gold Medalist, Fastest Human Ever

I do what I do because I am good at it, I enjoy it and I have been successful doing it. God gave me a talent and I have worked extremely hard to fulfil this talent.

Jamaican Sprinter & Olympic Gold Medalist, Fastest Human Ever

If you are someone who has generated wealth, you have the responsibility to make sure this money is used to benefit the community. This is something that exists in all philosophies, cultures, and all religions. You have an obligation to the people around you, and your society.

Without truthfulness I would never have been able to grow anything of any significance, I would have been 'found out.' Having truthfulness and ethics within a business creates trust among employees at all levels and is critical.

Billionaire British entrepreneur and founder of Phones 4u mobile retailer

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.

Leading African innovation and development scholar at Harvard Kennedy School

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.

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

We only make progress by getting up from getting kicked to the ground. How does a baby learn to walk? It falls, gets back up… falls, gets back up, and one day its running. You will fall, stumble and fail- that's inevitable. You need to analyse it when it happens, learn from those mistakes, and move on. Don't dwell on failure.

Icelandic billionaire businessman and former chess player

Short-term vision does not allow one to build better businesses and create value. If we keep a long-term perspective in mind, we will go through the good cycles and the bad cycles and reach the other side.

Terra Firma Capital founder; acquired EMI Records in 2007

The most common mistake is to stop challenging when things are going well. I recognise failure as not having made a business better than when you were first involved.

Terra Firma Capital founder; acquired EMI Records in 2007