"What makes society thrive are citizens determined to see shared ideals realized, not just for the select few, but, as our pledge says, for all." "Our greatest strengths have been our diversity and energy, our willingness to tackle problems and solve them, our confidence in the future, and our refusal to be bound by the present." "In this land of freedom, the future is ours if each and every one of us renews a respect for tolerance and diversity, initiative and compromise and accepts the challenges and responsibilities as great as our predecessors." "I subscribe to the notion that philanthropy is a form of investing. It is a unique form to be sure, and its bottom line is measured differently. But it still involves allocating resources toward an activity organized around specific goals. And I believe that, as investors, our involvement doesn't end when the box is ticked, or the check is signed. We should expect results; we should be interested in whether the goals are being met." "For me, the backbone of American democracy is a people driven by the simple belief that they have it within them the capacity to make a difference and the almost magical notion that they should, therefore, try." "Good philanthropy is … the art of thinking broadly and openly about challenges and then forming diverse coalitions of approaches and capabilities in response. Complex challenges require collaborative responses." "The best thing you can invest in is yourself." "You can simply do more by thinking through problems, reaching out, and finding partners than you can simply by reacting to proposals that come in the front door." "Philanthropy is about more than good deeds; it is about good deeds that work." "In this field, you know you have truly arrived when you start thinking not in terms of how much money there is, but how little." "It's easy to give money. It's much harder to give your time, your thought, your care, your gut." "In my experience, philanthropy has much more to do with what's in your head, and in your heart, than what's in your wallet." "The health of our community is determined by the contributions that each and every one of us makes or chooses not to make." Back to Top