"As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others."

"DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH ANYONE IN THIS WORLD..........IF U DO SO U R INSULTING YOURSELF."

"Software substitution, whether it's for drivers or waiters or nurses - it's progressing. Technology over time will reduce demand for jobs, particularly at the lower end of skill set."

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

"When Ford sells a car, a dealer isn't allowed to take out the engine and put a different one in. When a newsstand sells the Washington Post, no one can go to the newsstand and pay them to rip out the classified section and put their own classified section in - if they could, they would do so."

"Whether it's Google or Apple or free software, we've got some fantastic competitors and it keeps us on our toes."

"I like the idea of putting your Christmas wish list up and letting people share it."

"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 best teacher is very interactive."

"DOS is ugly and interferes with users' experience."

"By improving health, empowering women, population growth comes down."

"Effective philanthropy requires a lot of time and creativity - the same kind of focus and skills that building a business requires."

"Climate change is a terrible problem, and it absolutely needs to be solved. It deserves to be a huge priority."

"The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency."

"Eventually you won't think of 'the Internet business.' You'll think of it more like news, weather, sports, but even that taxonomy isn't clear."

"When Paul Allen and I started Microsoft over 30 years ago, we had big dreams about software. We had dreams about the impact it could have."

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

"In the long run, your human capital is your main base of competition. Your leading indicator of where you're going to be 20 years from now is how well you're doing in your education system."

"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose."

"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."

"When you want to do your homework, fill out your tax return, or see all the choices for a trip you want to take, you need a full-size screen."

"When I was growing up, my parents were almost involved in various volunteer things. My dad was head of Planned Parenthood. And it was very controversial to be involved with that."

"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."

"The nuclear industry has this amazing record, even equipment from generations one and two. But nuclear mishaps tend to come in these big events - Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and now Fukushima - so it's more visible."

"Exposure from a young age to the realities of the world is a super-big thing."