Nuclear energy, in terms of an overall safety record, is better than other energy.
Bill GatesRead
I believe innovation is the most powerful force for change in the world. People who are pessimistic about the future tend to extrapolate from the present in a straight line. But innovation fundamentally shifts the trajectory of development.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Innovation drives significant change in the world, challenging negative outlooks by altering future paths.
This quote by Bill Gates emphasizes the transformative power of innovation. He argues that while some people have a pessimistic view of the future, believing that trends will continue linearly based on current conditions, true innovation breaks these patterns. It introduces new possibilities and can radically change the course of development, influencing how we progress as a society.
Themes
InnovationChangeFuturePessimismDevelopment
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speech on embracing change in technology.
More from Bill Gates
All quotes →The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.
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With the states release today of a set of clear and consistent academic standards, our nation is one step closer to supporting effective teaching in every classroom, charting a path to college and careers for all students, and developing the tools to help all children stay motivated and engaged in their own education. The more states that adopt these college and career based standards, the closer we will be to sharing innovation across state borders and becoming more competitive as a country.
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About three million computers get sold every year in China, people don't pay for the software. Someday they will, though. And as long as they're going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade.
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Internet TV and the move to the digital approach is quite revolutionary. TV has historically has been a broadcast medium with everybody picking from a very finite number of channels.
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These four policy prescriptions - strengthening educational opportunities, revamping immigration rules for highly skilled workers, increasing federal funding for basic scientific research, and providing incentives for private-sector R&D - should in my view be top priorities as Congress and the Administration consider how to maintain the nation's leadership in science, technology, and innovation.
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Similar quotes
I just invent, then wait until man comes around to needing what I've invented.
R. Buckminster FullerRead
Most innovation is not done by research institutes and national laboratories. It comes from manufacturing - from companies that want to extend their product reach, improve their costs, increase their returns. What's very important is in-house research.
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To be an inventor, you have to be willing to live with a sense of uncertainty, to work in this darkness and grope towards an answer, to put up with anxiety about whether there is an answer.
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Optimism is an essential ingredient of innovation. How else can the individual welcome change over security, adventure over staying in safe places?
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If you look at history, innovation doesn't come just from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect.
Steven JohnsonRead
When you innovate, you've got to be prepared for everyone telling you you're nuts.
Larry EllisonRead