Philanthropists From The United States

"The insidious nature of antisemitism, and these tropes about power, is Kanye [West] can say these things—"Jews have all the power, they are controlling everything"—and if we don't get him, you know, if we don't deal with that, the myth spreads, and it takes root. If we do address that, and there are consequences, he says: "Aha! Proves my point." So it's kind of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario, and we're kind of stuck. We can't ignore it, because it has, again, consequences, and if it gets addressed, he says: "See? Proves my point." But, I mean, that's just the insidious and ugly nature of antisemitism."

"Every hateful thought or deed matters—not just because of the direct harm it causes to others, but because of the indirect role it plays as a vector for the spread of hate. Horrific attacks such as the one that took place at the Tree of Life synagogue don't just happen out of nowhere. They happen because over time, biased thinking and disrespectful behavior become normalized, leading larger numbers of people to demonize, dehumanize, and diminish the outsider."

"My former boss Barack Obama likes to invoke a teaching of Martin Luther King Jr.: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." It sounds nice but it's not quite true. The arc can bend toward justice, but much of the time it tacks stubbornly toward the status quo. We must be willing to do the work, reaching up with our own hands and wrenching the arc away from stasis and toward a better future. And when the arc seems to be bending away from justice, we have to dig deep, muster even greater resources, and bend it back."

"I believe that you call people in before you call them out. And I don't believe in cancel culture, I believe in counsel culture."

"I have gone after Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump, plenty of other people on the right who are white. I have gone after plenty of people on the left who are white. I have gone after—I shouldn't say "gone after", but called out people like Candace Owens, and people like Kanye [West], and others."

"The Japanese husband is considerate, faithful and patient. It is his philosophy, his religion. He is a home-loving man and naturally he is thoughtful of the little attentions to his home and family. Every woman loves these little attentions."

"The greatest mistake ever made in judgment of Japanese women is that they are merely painted dolls. I think it is quite readily conceded and already proved that Japanese men are clever in business and war; that they are highly intellectual and rank well as cultivated gentlement. It is well known that to be a good, great, or fairly intelligent man you must have a mother who has these qualities. All great men have had great mothers, so that nothing but credit can reflect on the Japanese woman's intelligence."

"There was an aura sanctioned and blessed about her that no one ever questioned. She had the kind of presence that made everyone rise, men of course, but women too, and without knowing who she was, not only in Japan but everywhere she went. Her tact, her courtesy, became legendary, A welcome from Takamine-san, no matter what your age, was like a diplomatic recognition. She was the supreme example, the Queen."

"I just have one question: What comes next? After we’ve discriminated against, deported or disparaged all the immigrants and the gay and lesbian and transgender people, the developmentally disabled, the women and the minorities – once we’ve ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends – After that, when the problems we started with are still there staring us in the face – what comes next?"

"All the atrocities of human history lurk in the answer to that question. And if we don’t want to repeat history – then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it."

"The best way to spot an idiot: Look for the person who is cruel. Let me explain. When we see someone who doesn't look like us, or sound like us, or act like us, or love like us, or live like us, the first thought that crosses almost everyone's brain is rooted in either fear or judgement or both. That's evolution. We survived as a species by being suspicious of things that we aren't familiar with. In order to be kind, we have to shut down that animal instinct and force our brain to travel a different pathway."

"Empathy and compassion are evolved states of being. They require the mental capacity to step past our most primal urges. This may be a surprising assessment because somewhere along the way in the last few years, our society has come to believe that weaponized cruelty is part of some well-thought out Master plan. Cruelty is seen by some as an adroit cudgel to gain power. Empathy and kindness are considered weak. Many important people look at the vulnerable only as rungs on a ladder to the top. I'm here to tell you that when someone's path through this world is marked with acts of cruelty, they have failed the first test of an advanced society. They never forced their animal brain to evolve past its first instinct. They never forged new mental pathways to overcome their own instinctual fears. And so their thinking and problem solving will lack the imagination and creativity that the kindest people have in spades. Over my many years in politics and business, I have found one thing to be universally true. The kindest person in the room is often the smartest."

"I do not invoke the specter of Nazis lightly. But I know the history intimately — and have spent more time than probably anyone in this room with people who survived the Holocaust. Here’s what I’ve learned – the root that tears apart your house’s foundation begins as a seed – a seed of distrust and hate and blame."

"Carrying a loaded gun into a community 20 miles from your home and shooting unarmed citizens is fundamentally wrong."

"As governor, I will ensure that all internet traffic is treated equally, so that everyone can continue to use the internet to grow their businesses, further their education, and enjoy the freedom of expression."

"The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn’t arrive overnight. It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame."

"If I had to say one guy — I really don’t know him, very superficially — but if I were like betting the Kentucky Derby and I saw this 12-to-1 horse and I said, ‘Yeah, I want to get a price,’ I’d take JB Pritzker,"

"I’m watching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country right now. A president who watches a plane go down in the Potomac – and suggests — without facts or findings — that a diversity hire is responsible for the crash. Or the Missouri Attorney General who just sued Starbucks – arguing that consumers pay higher prices for their coffee because the baristas are too “female” and “nonwhite.” The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here: They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems."

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."

"To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

"We know white supremacy is not limited to politics or policies. It also shows up in culture, it shows up in stories."

"On their own, the politics of representation are not enough to build a world where Black & Brown communities can thrive. We also need to focus our attention on structural changes to library systems, the organization of knowledge, & information literacy."

"Picked up my kid from school today. "Did you learn anything? 'Cause in the world today, You can't live in a castle far away. Now, talk to me, come talk to me." He said, "Dad, I'm big, but we're smaller than small. In the scheme of things, well, we're nothing at all. Still, every mother's child sings a lonely song. So play with me, come play with me.""

"There was a time a long, long time ago Chevy's and levees played on the radio No cell phones, just twenty thousand lights Swaying on a Saturday night alright."

"There are secrets that we Still have left to find. There have been mysteries From the beginning of time. There are answers We're not wise enough to see. He said, "You're looking for a clue I love you free.""

"Chances are when said and done Who'll be the lucky ones Who make it all the way? Though you say I could be your answer. Nothing lasts forever, No matter how it feels today.Chances are we'll find a new equation Chances rolled away from me Chances are all they hope to be."

"I'm thirty-three for a moment, I'm still the man, but you see I'm a "they" A kid on the way, babe, A family on my mind. I'm forty-five for a moment, The sea is high And I'm heading into a crisis, Chasing the years of my life."

"What kind of world do you want? Think anything. Let's start at the start, Build a masterpiece. Be careful what you wish for, History starts now..."

"Then he said, "Here's a riddle for ya: Find the answer. There's a reason for the world: You and I.""

"Got blood on my hands Got blood on my hands And I don't understand What's happening There's blood on these hands And still American's Left to the Taliban Now how's that happening? Winkin' Blinken Can't you look me in the eyes Willy Milley Tell me when did you decide This we'll defend Your sacred motto Now means... never mind Got blood on my hands Got blood on my hands Flag of the Taliban Over Afghanistan I can't hear her scream if shе's not, she's not She's not on TV To every Afghan ally that we left behind Every child who won't know freedom Faces covered and blind As for this American promise Now... shit in the Fire."

"Shot down, said you never had the chance, Took a ride on a suicide romance. Could have sworn there was somebody home To facilitate the great unknown. Oh woman, I ain't going to meet you anywhere. Don't know where I'm going yet, But I sure am getting there."

"I can't stand to fly. I'm not that naïve. I'm just out to find The better part of me.I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane, I'm more than some pretty face beside a train. It's not easy to be me."

"I wish that I could cry, Fall upon my knees. Find a way to lie 'Bout a home I'll never see.It may sound absurd but don't be naïve Even heroes have the right to bleed. I may be disturbed but won’t you concede Even heroes have the right to dream. And it's not easy to be me."

"Fifteen, there's still time for you, Time to buy and time to lose, fifteen. There's never a wish better than this, When you only got a hundred years to live."

"There's no point paying Yo-Yo Ma to play a radio."

"Corporate profits will be a lot higher 10 years from now. They'll be a lot higher 20 years from now. That's what you can rely on. Microsoft didn't exist 20 years ago. Staples didn't exist 20 years ago—Federal Express didn't exist 20 years ago. New companies will come along. That's what makes stocks go up."

"Since the early 1980s, the Berkshire annual reports have informed shareholders of the performance of the holdings of the company and new investments, updated the status of the insurance and the reinsurance industry, and (since 1982) have listed acquisition criteria about business Berkshire would like to purchase. The report is generously laced with examples, analogies, stories, and metaphors containing the do's and dont's of proper investing in stocks."

"If you don't understand a company, if you can't explain it to a ten-year-old in 2 minutes or less, don't own it."

"When somebody says, "Any idiot could run this joint," that's a plus as far as I'm concerned, because sooner or later any idiot probably is going to be running it."

"I’m trying to take a beat to digest the Rittenhouse verdict. My son just asked me how it’s possible that he didn’t get charged for anything. How is that possible? I don’t have an answer for him."

"As previously explained, the differences between deleveragings depend on the amounts and paces of 1) debt reduction, 2) austerity, 3) transferring wealth from the haves to the have-nots, and 4) debt monetization. Each one of these four paths reduces debt/income ratios, but they have different effects on inflation and growth. Debt reduction (i.e., defaults and restructurings) and austerity are both deflationary and depressing while debt monetization is inflationary and stimulative. Ugly deleveragings get these out of balance while beautiful ones properly balance them. In other words, the key is in getting the mix right."

"When central banks print a lot of money to relieve a crisis, buy stocks, gold, and commodities because their value will rise and the value of paper money will fall."

"In a nutshell, poor education, a poor culture (one that impedes people from operating effectively together), poor infrastructure, and too much debt cause bad economic results. The best results come when there is more rather than less of: a) equal opportunity in education and in work, b) good family or family-like upbringing through the high school years, c) civilized behavior within a system that most people believe is fair, and d) free and well-regulated markets for goods, services, labor, and capital that provide incentives, savings, and financing opportunities to most people."

"To understand what is coming at you, you need to understand what happened before you."

"Think for yourself to decide 1) what you want, 2) what is true, and 3) what you should do to achieve #1 in light of #2 ... and do that with humility and open-mindedness so that you can consider the best thinking available to you."

"Make believability-weighted decisions. ... Operate by principles ... that are so clearly laid out that their principles can be easily assessed and you and others can see if you walk the talk."

"Systemize your decision making."

"Generally speaking, I favor increased levels of support for mathematics and physical and life science. Aside from the inevitable positive impact on the world’s economy, the advancement of knowledge lifts humanity’s spirits, opening our eyes to the wonders of the universe."

"When you're really thinking hard about mathematics, you're in your own world. And you're cushioned from other things."

"... Be guided by beauty ... Beauty is an aesthetic. There is beauty in things that work really well — the way a company is run, or the way a theorem comes out. … Don’t give up easily. Stick to something. Not to the point where it’s clearly insane, but be persistent. … Getting fired once can be a good experience. You just don’t want to make a habit of it. … Work with the smartest people you can. Hopefully smarter than you even. It amplifies your effect. … Hire the smartest people you possibly can … Work collaboratively, and let everyone know what everyone else is researching, so people aren’t wasting their time. … You never know where good science is going to take you."