“Almost all of the processes we use today were designed in the twentieth century, with the old mindset of command and control. Forms and data such as immigration, customs, starting a company, land records, birth certificates, death certificates, police reports, court cases- all these processes, designed in the twentieth century, are now obsolete. You have to redesign your processes to meet the needs of the twenty first century, and the web.”
— Dr. Sam Pitroda
Telecom Pioneer & Advisor to Indian Government on Technology Policy

The quote archive

Society

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

Search started as a free product meaning it cannot get any less expensive for the user. You pay nothing, but the benefits of reaching larger and larger portions of humanity accrue to the provider, not to you.

— Sridhar Ramaswamy

Former Google Executive & Founder of Perplexity AI

I didn't like the rampant tracking and the fact that Google and Facebook effectively ran some of the largest information gathering networks on earth (and that's a very charitable way of describing it).

— Sridhar Ramaswamy

Former Google Executive & Founder of Perplexity AI

GDP only catches a slice of the value that we value. It captures what goes on in the market, the financial value of goods and services sold in an economy over a year. We need to get away from the narrow, monetary, measure of GDP which asserts that economic value is the only thing we care about.

— Kate Raworth

Creator of the Doughnut Economics framework for sustainable development

We have turned life into a business model- and have somewhat forgotten the reciprocity we have with nature rather; we just see it as a resource. We have maintained societies for thousands of years based on a reciprocal relationship with nature, and we need to.

— Ziya Tong

Canadian science broadcaster and host of Discovery Channel's Daily Planet

In the 21st century, there are cameras everywhere except for where our food and energy come from, and where our waste goes. We are the most powerful species in the world, but we remain blind to the fundamentals that allow us to survive. How are we blind to our life support system?

— Ziya Tong

Canadian science broadcaster and host of Discovery Channel's Daily Planet

Researching the story of empire didn't make me hate Britain, rather it gave me a deeper sense of belonging because it made me realise that we (brown people) have been here for centuries.

— Sathnam Sanghera

British journalist and author, wrote "The Boy with the Topknot

We're a multicultural society because we had a multicultural empire. The reason you and I are here talking is because some English people went to India and invaded it in the 17th century.

— Sathnam Sanghera

British journalist and author, wrote "The Boy with the Topknot

In 2012, I was put to the forefront of people's eyes during the Olympics. It was the first time I'd been on the cover of a magazine- and it wasn't about being a size-zero or really-skinny, it was about being strong and promoting what healthy looks like.

— Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill

British Olympic heptathlon champion and gold medalist

There's so much data that's been collected around fitness, but a lot of this has been based on male subjects and isn't always right to apply to women. Having been through the journey myself, I want to help more women become body-literate and motivated to enjoy exercise.

— Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill

British Olympic heptathlon champion and gold medalist

People ask me all the time what do you want to be known for? My answer is simple. I want people to say 'Shaquille O'Neal was a nice guy…' forget how much money I made, forget how many championships I won, or what type of businessman I am.

— Shaquille O’Neal

Hall of Fame NBA Center & 4-Time NBA Champion

The scope of entrepreneurial fulfilment, the scope of new entrants changing the world is broader than ever before, and that's great for society. That's great for everyone.

— Steve Jurvetson

Prominent venture capitalist and early Tesla investor at Draper Fisher Jurvetson

Our singular filter is to find the people, projects and opportunities that we think are going to be game-changing for humanity. If you succeed at doing that, you'll make plenty of money (even if you fail half the time).

— Steve Jurvetson

Prominent venture capitalist and early Tesla investor at Draper Fisher Jurvetson

Whether we look at the rioters who converged on the capital, the Gamestop Redditors, Incels or Qanon followers, what they have in common is that they're groups of people who are lonely and craving community. That fundamental need for human connection is missing for significant swathes of our population, and that's dangerous.

— Noreena Hertz

Economist & Author on Globalization, Corporate Power & Digital Society

Loneliness very much defines what this century has become. It's a feeling of being disconnected from our government, our fellow citizens and our employer. That feeling of being invisible, unseen and unheard occurs not just from those we are closest to but also from our workplace and state.

— Noreena Hertz

Economist & Author on Globalization, Corporate Power & Digital Society

The neo-liberal capitalist mindset has been a huge contributor to loneliness. Since the 1980s, a new form of economics came to the fore which enshrined the pursuit of self-interest over the pursuit of collective good. That generated the mindset we see today- me first, dog-eat-dog, greed is good.

— Noreena Hertz

Economist & Author on Globalization, Corporate Power & Digital Society

There are all kinds of things where we can use technology to reflect our own humanity to better us.

— Dr. Mark Sagar

Creator of AI baby "Baby X" & facial animation technology pioneer