Bill Gates is an American business magnate, philanthropist, author and computer programmer. As of February 2019, he is the second richest person globally, with a net worth of $89 billion. He was co-founder of Microsoft Corporation with Paul Allen.
Born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle to William H. Gates Sr., a successful lawyer who owned one of the largest law firms in the country at that time and Mary Maxwell Gates (née French), Bill shared his parents’ enthusiasm for computers from an early age; when he saw his father’s IBM System/360 mainframe running BASIC, he decided to study programming in high school so that he could work with computers while still in college.
In this blog post, we look at some famous quotes from Bill Gates and implement them in different aspects of our lives.
1. “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
This quote by Bill speaks about the importance of taking shortcuts in everything we do to make things easier for us. It is analogous to the famous quote by author Elbert Hubbard which says,
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”
2. “People always fear change. People feared electricity when it was invented, didn’t they? People feared coal. They feared gas-powered engines… There will always be ignorance, and ignorance leads to fear. But with time, people will come to accept their silicon masters.”
This quote by Bill is a straightforward way of saying that there’s nothing new under the sun. People have feared change forever, and they always will. So the best way forward is to tune out the noise caused by those fears and embrace the change.
3. “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.”
Every new technology comes with its challenges, but it can be beneficial if adopted in the right way. This quote by Bill speaks about this concept at a broader level, which is true for every new technology that comes out.
4. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
No one is perfect, and it’s only through mistakes that we can learn from our mistakes to prevent them in the future. Bill says that your most unhappy customers are the ones who have the potential to teach you the most if you’re willing to learn.
5. “The next generation of important products will be invented by companies that have not yet been founded.”
You can’t call yourself an inventor unless you develop something new and revolutionary. But, of course, this does not mean that you have to reinvent the wheel but think along those lines.
6. “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”
Bill says that success can easily fool someone into believing that they’re invincible, and nothing can stop them from achieving their goals of becoming successful in life. But what they fail to realize is that with great power comes greater responsibilities.
Success has no limits, which mean you have to be on the lookout for every possible threat that can pose a danger to your success. You have to learn how to prioritize and focus on the things that matter if you don’t want it all coming crashing down around you very soon.
7. “People always fear change. People feared electricity when it was invented, didn’t they? People feared coal. They feared gas-powered engines… There will always be ignorance, and ignorance leads to fear.”
Bill Gates says that people are afraid of change no matter how good it is for them. This has been true since the beginning of time. People are afraid of technology. People are afraid that their lives will be changed for good if they become a part of something new and different. You can’t do anything about it except inform them about how things work and what you’re trying to achieve with your product or service.
8. “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
You don’t need your employees to work themselves silly to get the job done. But, on the other hand, it’s not necessary that you give 100% all the time, and if there’s something that can be done with less effort, then it makes sense to go with the option that requires less work from everyone involved.
9. “There are no significant bugs in our released software that any significant number of users want fixing.”
This quote by Bill is pretty straightforward, and it’s true to some extent. For a product to be successful, you have to focus on making it work well for most of its intended users. Unfortunately, you can’t expect to please everyone, and the best you can do is satisfy the majority.
10. “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.”
This quote by Bill talks about how technology can amplify your success if you’re using it at a place where it’s supposed to be used. If not, things will become way worse than they already are, and that’s always something you want to avoid.
Conclusion: Famous Quotes by Bill Gates to Motivate You in Life
Bill Gates is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time. He has made his fortune by being able to spot new trends before anyone else could even imagine them. The world would be very different if it weren’t for Bill, and you can easily see this for yourself if you read some quotes by him that will motivate you to do your best in life.