I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.
I like having the digital camera on my smart phone, but I also like having a dedicated camera for when I want to take real pictures.
Percentage margins don't matter. What matters always is dollar margins: the actual dollar amount. Companies are valued not on their percentage margins, but on how many dollars they actually make, and a multiple of that.
We've had three big ideas at Amazon that we've stuck with for 18 years, and they're the reason we're successful: Put the customer first. Invent. And be patient.
I wanted a woman who could get me out of a Third World prison. Life's too short to hang out with people who aren't resourceful.
If we can keep our competitors focused on us while we stay focused on the customer, ultimately we'll turn out all right.
People used to think that private equity was basically just a compensation scheme, but it is much more about making companies more efficient.
The world is a complicated place, and there's a lot of division between people. The performing arts tend to unify people in a way nothing else does.
Chairman Mao not only introduced Pinyin in China, but also simplified half the Chinese characters, believing that fewer strokes would enable more people to learn to write the characters.
Warren Buffett pays taxes on a smaller percentage of his billions in income than his cleaning lady.
Museums do not share their collections with other museums unless they get something in exchange. The Metropolitan will deal with the Louvre, but will they send their stuff to Memphis? No.
Without a doubt, stem cell research will lead to the dramatic improvement in the human condition and will benefit millions of people.
For businesses to be successful, they need to constantly ask the question: 'How can we provide value to our customers?' At the end of the day, that is what matters.
If people want to criticize me because it sells papers, that's fine. I just don't like it when it's inaccurate.
The pushback I get is, 'He's a hedge fund guy.' Full stop. Some places, that can be a badge of honor. In others, it's almost a term of derision.
Capitalism has worked very well. Anyone who wants to move to North Korea is welcome.
Two out of every five people on Earth today owe their lives to the higher crop outputs that fertilizer has made possible.
I have been struck again and again by how important measurement is to improving the human condition.
Whether it's Google or Apple or free software, we've got some fantastic competitors and it keeps us on our toes.
I believe in innovation and that the way you get innovation is you fund research and you learn the basic facts.
By 2035, there will be almost no poor countries left in the world. Almost all countries will be what we now call lower-middle income or richer.
