Bill Gates

“If people want capital gains taxed more like the highest rate on income, that's a good discussion. Maybe that's the way to help close the deficit.”

“K to 12 is partly about babysitting the kids so the parents can do other things.”

“In terms of doing things I take a fairly scientific approach to why things happen and how they happen. I don't know if there's a god or not...”

“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.”

“The way to be successful in the software world is to come up with breakthrough software, and so whether it's Microsoft Office or Windows, its pushing that forward. New ideas, surprising the marketplace, so good engineering and good business are one in the same.”

“Capitalism has shortfalls. It doesn't necessarily take care of the poor, and it underfunds innovation, so we have to offset that.”

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

“Nobody believes in completely unadulterated capitalism.”

“We are not even close to finishing the basic dream of what the PC can be.”

“Governments will always play a huge part in solving big problems. They set public policy and are uniquely able to provide the resources to make sure solutions reach everyone who needs them. They also fund basic research, which is a crucial component of the innovation that improves life for everyone.”

“The belief that the world is getting worse, that we can't solve extreme poverty and disease, isn't just mistaken. It is harmful.”

“Should there be cameras everywhere in outdoor streets? My personal view is having cameras in inner cities is a very good thing. In the case of London, petty crime has gone down. They catch terrorists because of it. And if something really bad happens, most of the time you can figure out who did it.”

“Headlines, in a way, are what mislead you because bad news is a headline, and gradual improvement is not.”

“Employers have decided that having the breadth of knowledge that's associated with a four-year degree is often something they want to see in the people they give that job to.”

“The tool that's most associated with the recent progress against malaria is the long-lasting bed net. Bed nets are a fantastic innovation. But we can do even better. We can invent new ways to control the mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite.”

“Two out of every five people on Earth today owe their lives to the higher crop outputs that fertilizer has made possible.”

“People want to watch whatever video they want to watch whenever they want to watch. If you provision your Internet infrastructure adequately, you can do that.”

“I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act.”

“I have a nice office. I have a nice house... So I'm not denying myself some great things. I just don't happen to have expensive hobbies.”

“Nobody spends any money on smallpox unless they worry about a bio-terrorist recreating it.”