Sentimental quotes
August 3rd 2008 06:45
I have been reading 'Leaving Microsoft to Change the World' by John Wood, whose story inspire me a lot even though his writing is a little patronising.
For those who don't know, John used to be in senior management in Microsoft and had a very successful corporate career. However a trip to Nepal changed his life and he now uses his business knowledge and founded Room to Read, a non-profit organisation that promotes literacy throughout the developing world.
I had similar ideas once, that I was going to leave the big corporate world and do some good. Then I realised I can't even feed myself and my partner how can I try to save the world? So I decided that I'll keep working and just help those who have the power to hopefully save the world
I thought I'd share some inspirational quotes from his book:
When talking about his realisation and reflection on his life, John wrote: "it does not matter if we have material wealth. What really matters is what do we do with it? The fact tht I have money does not make me a better person. What really matters is what I do with it."
as well as "Acquisition would not produce true happiness, as we'd never have the biggest boat, the nicest car and would be stuck in a perpetual materialistic cycle."
Then, on his childhood: "This love of reading, learning and exploring new worlds so pre-dominates my memory of youth that I simply could not imagine a childhood without books"
He also shares with us one of his favourite quotes, from Soeren Kierkegaard: "There is nothing with which every man is so afraid as getting to know how enormously much he is capable of doing and becoming."
Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if we all thought like this? Maybe the world leaders have something to learn from it all. In closing his book, John wrote: "Johnann Wolfgang von Goethe once write about Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, "If all the musicians in the world played this piece simultaneously, the planet would go off its axis." That's how I feel about education for the children of the developing world."
Aye to that.
For those who don't know, John used to be in senior management in Microsoft and had a very successful corporate career. However a trip to Nepal changed his life and he now uses his business knowledge and founded Room to Read, a non-profit organisation that promotes literacy throughout the developing world.
I had similar ideas once, that I was going to leave the big corporate world and do some good. Then I realised I can't even feed myself and my partner how can I try to save the world? So I decided that I'll keep working and just help those who have the power to hopefully save the world
I thought I'd share some inspirational quotes from his book:
When talking about his realisation and reflection on his life, John wrote: "it does not matter if we have material wealth. What really matters is what do we do with it? The fact tht I have money does not make me a better person. What really matters is what I do with it."
as well as "Acquisition would not produce true happiness, as we'd never have the biggest boat, the nicest car and would be stuck in a perpetual materialistic cycle."
Then, on his childhood: "This love of reading, learning and exploring new worlds so pre-dominates my memory of youth that I simply could not imagine a childhood without books"
He also shares with us one of his favourite quotes, from Soeren Kierkegaard: "There is nothing with which every man is so afraid as getting to know how enormously much he is capable of doing and becoming."
Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if we all thought like this? Maybe the world leaders have something to learn from it all. In closing his book, John wrote: "Johnann Wolfgang von Goethe once write about Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, "If all the musicians in the world played this piece simultaneously, the planet would go off its axis." That's how I feel about education for the children of the developing world."
Aye to that.
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