I loved every minute of my time at Microsoft, but I had always envisioned having another phase of life just because I thought that would be interesting. It had never been my plan to work until I literally didn't want to do anything and then hang it up.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a desire for change and new experiences, emphasizing that life should be about exploration and not solely about work.
In this quote, Steve Ballmer reflects on his time at Microsoft with fondness while highlighting his belief in the importance of evolving beyond one's current circumstances. He suggests that a fulfilling life involves imagining new phases and opportunities, rather than being confined to continuous work until exhaustion. This mindset encourages individuals to seek out novel experiences and phases in life, illustrating that life is more than just a career.
In practice
During a motivational speech about life choices.
The number one benefit of information technology is that it empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didn't think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential.
I think the biggest mistake most people make when they pick their first job is they don't worry enough about whether they'll love the work, and they worry more about whether it's good experience
Because it is such a huge crisis, because it puts us on a firm science-based deadline, it's a once-in-a-century opportunity to build a better society and address raging inequality, create huge numbers of jobs, rebuild our public infrastructure. But, we can't do it unless we break every single rule in the free-market playbook. Which is why the worst people in the world all deny climate change.
I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.
We have a normal. As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the unknown and frightening becomes your new normal.
Change is the principal feature of our age and literature should explore how people deal with it. The best science fiction does that, head-on.
Economic, social, and other kinds of regional cooperation are not possible so long as there is apartheid. Therefore, it seems the duty of all mankind to destroy it.
Social reforms are never carried out by the weakness of the strong; but always by the strength of the weak.
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