Bill Gates

“If you're using first-class land for biofuels, then you're competing with the growing of food. And so you're actually spiking food prices by moving energy production into agriculture.”

“Like almost everyone who uses e-mail, I receive a ton of spam every day. Much of it offers to help me get out of debt or get rich quick. It would be funny if it weren't so exciting.”

“If you can't make it good, at least make it look good.”

“Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.”

“I have seen firsthand that agricultural science has enormous potential to increase the yields of small farmers and lift them out of hunger and poverty.”

“Although I don't have a prescription for what others should do, I know I have been very fortunate and feel a responsibility to give back to society in a very significant way.”

“A first-generation fortune is the most likely to be given away, but once a fortune is inherited it's less likely that a very high percentage will go back to society.”

“In inner-city, low-income communities of color, there's such a high correlation in terms of educational quality and success.”

“Well I think any author or musician is anxious to have legitimate sales of their products, partly so they're rewarded for their success, partly so they can go on and do new things.”

“Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.”

“Digital reading will completely take over. It's lightweight and it's fantastic for sharing. Over time it will take over.”

“Oh, I think there are a lot of people who would be buying and selling online today that go up there and they get the information, but then when it comes time to type in their credit card they think twice because they're not sure about how that might get out and what that might mean for them.”

“People always fear change. People feared electricity when it was invented, didn't they? People feared coal, they feared gas-powered engines... There will always be ignorance, and ignorance leads to fear. But with time, people will come to accept their silicon masters.”

“It's really kind of cool to have solar panels on your roof.”

“Me and my dad are the biggest promoters of an estate tax in the US. It's not a popular position.”

“The U.S. couldn't even get rid of Saddam Hussein. And we all know that the EU is just a passing fad. They'll be killing each other again in less than a year. I'm sick to death of all these fascist lawsuits.”

“DOS is ugly and interferes with users' experience.”

“Well private money can take risks in a way that government money often isn't willing to.”

“I'm sorry that we have to have a Washington presence. We thrived during our first 16 years without any of this. I never made a political visit to Washington and we had no people here. It wasn't on our radar screen. We were just making great software.”

“Life is not fair get used to it.”

“I actually thought that it would be a little confusing during the same period of your life to be in one meeting when you're trying to make money, and then go to another meeting where you're giving it away. I mean is it gonna erode your ability, you know, to make money? Are you gonna somehow get confused about what you're trying to do?”

“Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.”

“People everywhere love Windows.”

“We've got to put a lot of money into changing behavior.”