Eli Broad

“I've never been one who enjoys maintaining the status quo. I'm always pushing for new ideas, whether it's in business or philanthropy.”

“The first dream I had was just to get a college education. I got through college in three years, taking extra classes in summer school.”

“I don't think it makes any sense for an individual to invest in common stocks unless they know the company, work at the company, and so on.”

“Philanthropy is activism.”

“In America, what you've accomplished financially is a measurement, whether you like it or not.”

“I've got a big ego, I admit it; I'm ego-driven.”

“I never play golf because it takes too long, and the business connections it produces can be made just as easily over an early breakfast.”

“Oprah Winfrey's global influence is unparalleled. Not only has her generosity and firm belief that education is the key to a better life benefited countless women and children around the world, but her example has also inspired millions of people to give back in ways big and small.”

“Art evokes emotion. It doesn't have to be a thing of beauty.”

“The unions no longer control the education agenda of the Democratic Party.”

“My wife was the first art collector in the family, and I didn't become interested until around 1973. The first important artwork we bought was a Van Gogh drawing of two peasant houses in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.”

“Time is the most valuable thing you have - and I'm not just talking about the minutes for which you're paid.”

“School boards are, for the most part,made up of political wannabes who see a board seat as a stepping stone for political office, or well-meaning parents who represent an ethnic group or geography, or have some other narrow interests. Few people on them understand what governance is about.”

“A real collector does not sell.”

“Any city in America would like to get a museum built if they didn't have to pay for it.”

“If people want to criticize me because it sells papers, that's fine. I just don't like it when it's inaccurate.”

“The American people frankly have been, over many, many years - to be blunt - fat, dumb and happy. If they want their children to compete with children in India, China or Korea, they better get them a far better education.”

“The biggest barrier we've seen to student progress is this: School policies and practices often prevent good teachers from doing great work and even dissuade some talented Americans from entering the profession. This needs to change.”

“Every artist is unreasonable, because he or she is doing something that hasn't been done before.”

“If you ask why I do what I do - I want to make a difference. I don't just want to maintain the status quo. I want to help people, to work with institutions or create ones when they don't exist.”