Quotes from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“There are two ways to remove a Band-Aid : slowly and painfully, or quickly and painfully. Your choice.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“The biggest risk is that a lot of people will try to talk you out of pursuing your dream. The world has too many people who are happy to discuss why something might not work, and too few who will cheer you and say, "I'm there for you." The more time you spend navel-gazing, the longer you give those negative gravitational forces to keep you in their tether.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“If you are thinking about making some adjustments in you life to allow you to help change the world, my heartfelt recommendation is not to spend too much time thinking about it. Just dive in.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“Setelah manusia menghasilkan banyak uang, dia biasanya menjadi pendengar yang buruk.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“Right now what I need to think about is what would be possible, not all the reasons I can't make a change.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“Sometimes, it's really important to move with all deliberate speed. If there is something out there that you want to do to make the world a better place, don't focus on the obstacles. Don't ask for permission. Just dive in. Don't let the naysayers get you down.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“I knew that I had to free myself from any constraints that would prevent the pursuit of these dreams.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“The headmaster explained. Books were considered precious. The school had so few that the teachers did not want to risk the children damaging them. I wondered how a book could impart knowledge if it was locked up, but kept that thought to myself.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“if we were lucky enough to be living a good life, we should recognize this gift and thank God for it by looking out for others who need our help in breaking out of the cycle of poverty.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“Look, there are two ways to remove a Band-Aid: slowly and painfully, or quickly and painfully. Your choice.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“Did it really matter how many copies of Windows we sold in Taiwan this month when millions of children were without access to books?”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“Did my job really matter? A successful year would only help a rich company get richer.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

“The events of September eleventh remind us that we live in a very confused world. I think that how we respond says a lot about our capacity as human beings to be optimistic in the face of nihilism, and to prove that light can win out over darkness. I am not saying that education is going to solve all the world’s problems. But it’s something direct, and tangible. We can do it right now. You can go home tonight knowing that within a year, a few new schools will be open. I hope you’ll choose to support our work.”
― John Wood, quote from Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children

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Popular quotes

“With the attempt to self-remember many new sensations begin to awaken in man, particularly sensations connected with his own existence and his relation to the surrounding world. And these in turn may give rise to the realization of the different influences playing upon him and to the possibility of choosing between them.”
― P.D. Ouspensky, quote from The Fourth Way

“Ben Franklin advises his grandson not to let even the American Revolution interrupt his studies, urging of young adulthood, "This is the time of life in which you are to lay the foundations of your future improvement and of your importance among men. If this season is neglected, it will be like cutting off the spring from the year.”
― H.W. Brands, quote from The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

“I can see why you, sir, are the champ. You bully without regard to race, religion, creed, national origin, or physical abilities. You are an equal-opportunity tormentor.”
― James Patterson, quote from Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

“طالما لم يوضع الوهم في مواجهة مع الحقيقة, فلا يظهر على أنه وهم, وطالما لا توضع الحياة "في الكذب" في مواجهة الحياة "في الحقيقة" فلا يوجد احتمال أن ينكشف زيفها. وما أن يصبح هذا الاحتمال وارداً فإن وجودها يصبح مهددا من جذوره وبالكامل. ولا يهم حجم المساحة التي تحتلها هذه الإمكانية. فإن قوتها ليست في جانبها المادي, لكن في الضوء الذي تصدره دعامات النظام والتي تنقض على اساسها الهش: فبائع الخضراوات لم يهدد تركيبة السلطة بشخصه وبقوته الحقيقية, لكن هددها بأبعاد ما فعله, وتجاوزه إياه, بما أشعه على البيئة المحيطة به - وبالطبع بالنتائج الغير محسوبة التي ستسفر انتشار هذه الأشعة.”
― Václav Havel, quote from The Power of the Powerless

“Finally we are being told the truth: life isn’t always easy and pleasant. We already know this to be true, but somehow we tend to go through life thinking that there is something wrong with us when we experience sadness, grief, and physical and emotional pain. The first truth points out that this is just the way it is. There is nothing wrong with you: you have just been born into a realm where pain is a given.”
― Noah Levine, quote from Against the Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries

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About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.