Impatient Optimist


Book Description

"A collection of direct quotes from Bill Gates on topics related to business, technology, Microsoft, philanthropy, and life"--Provided by publisher.




Jane Fonda


Book Description

Get inside the head of Jane Fonda: actress, political activist, environmentalist, philanthropist, and creator of an unlikely fitness empire that captivated the country beginning in the 1980s. This collection of quotes has been curated from Jane Fonda’s numerous public statements—interviews, books, social media posts, television appearances, and more. It’s a comprehensive picture of her legacy and her impact on American popular culture. Fonda began her career in the public eye as a model before taking up acting and bursting onto the scene as a stage actress in New York in the 1950s. She transitioned to film work in the 60s and skyrocketed to global prominence through her performance as the title character in Barbarella (1968). While she continued to headline in major motion pictures through the 70s and into the 80s, she became just as well known for the political activism she pursued in the late 60s and early 70s, most notably in the anti-war movement during the Vietnam era. In an effort to fund some of her activist efforts, she launched a second career in fitness. Fonda built a multi-million dollar aerobics exercise empire, starting with the release of Jane Fonda’s Workout Book (1981), which was a national bestseller, and quickly followed by her popular exercise video, Jane Fonda’s Workout, which was the top-selling VHS tape for a number of years. She went on to film more than 20 other workout videos, which collectively sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. She took a brief hiatus from acting throughout the 90s, during which time she founded several philanthropic organizations, including the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential, the Fonda Family Foundation, and the Jane Fonda Foundation. Her foundations make charitable donations to a number of causes including reproductive services, education, human services, and the environment. Fonda eventually returned to acting in the early 2000s, capturing a new generation of fans through her work in film and on popular television series including The Newsroom and the contemporary Netflix hit series Grace and Frankie. She has continued to do activist work, particularly in opposing the Iraq War and supporting environmental causes. Now, for the first time, you can find Jane Fonda’s most inspirational, thought-provoking quotes in one place.




Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know


Book Description

“I would say that learning this material ... has lifted some of the existential weight from me. Things aren’t as bad as they are trumpeted to be. In fact, they’re quite a bit better, and they’re getting better, and so we’re doing a better job than we thought. There’s more to us than we thought. We’re adopting our responsibilities as stewards of the planet rapidly. We are moving towards improving everyone’s life." —Jordan B. Peterson, Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life Think the world is getting worse? If so, you’re wrong. The world is, for the most part, actually getting better. But 58 percent of people in 17 countries who were surveyed in 2016 thought that the world was either getting worse or staying the same. Americans were even more glum: 65 percent thought the world was getting worse and only 6 percent thought it was getting better. The uncontroversial data on major global trends in this book will persuade you that this dark view of the state of humanity and the natural world is, in large part, badly mistaken. World population will peak at 8–9 billion before the end of this century, as the global fertility rate continues its fall from 6 children per woman in 1960 to the current rate of 2.4. The global absolute poverty rate has fallen from 42 percent in 1981 to 8.6 percent today. Satellite data show that forest area has been expanding since 1982. Natural resources are becoming ever cheaper and more abundant. Since 1900, the average life expectancy has more than doubled, reaching more than 72 years globally. Of course, major concerns such as climate change, marine plastic pollution, and declining wildlife populations are still with us, but many of these problems are already being ameliorated as a result of the favorable economic, social, and technological trends that are documented in this book. You can’t fix what is wrong in the world if you don’t know what’s actually happening. Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know will provide busy people with quick-to-read, easily understandable, and entertaining access to surprising facts that they need to know about how the world is really faring.




Your World, Better


Book Description

Written for the smart and engaged middle school student, Your World, Better looks at how America and the World has changed since the reader's parents and grandparents were young: what has happened to health and wealth, homes, school and work, rights and democracy, war and the environment, happiness and depression. It reports the positive trends, the problems that remain and what we can do about them. All author royalties from sales will be donated to UNICEF.




Tribe of Mentors


Book Description

Life-changing wisdom from 130 of the world's highest achievers in short, action-packed pieces, featuring inspiring quotes, life lessons, career guidance, personal anecdotes, and other advice




The Skeptical Environmentalist


Book Description

The Skeptical Environmentalist challenges widely held beliefs that the environmental situation is getting worse and worse. The author, himself a former member of Greenpeace, is critical of the way in which many environmental organisations make selective and misleading use of the scientific evidence. Using the best available statistical information from internationally recognised research institutes, Bjørn Lomborg systematically examines a range of major environmental problems that feature prominently in headline news across the world. His arguments are presented in non-technical, accessible language and are carefully backed up by over 2500 footnotes allowing readers to check sources for themselves. Concluding that there are more reasons for optimism than pessimism, Bjørn Lomborg stresses the need for clear-headed prioritisation of resources to tackle real, not imagined problems. The Skeptical Environmentalist offers readers a non-partisan stocktaking exercise that serves as a useful corrective to the more alarmist accounts favoured by campaign groups and the media.




We Love in Small Moments


Book Description

The most beautiful moments are when we love and see love in unexpected places. We Love in Small Moments is a collection of snapshots into love, however that looks for you.




Conversations with Kurt Vonnegut


Book Description

Gathers interviews with Vonnegut from each period of his career and offers a brief profile of his life and accomplishments.




The World's Richest Man: Carlos Slim In His Own Words


Book Description

When Carlos Slim claimed the top spot on Forbes’s annual list of the world’s richest people in 2010, it was the first time since 1994 that the spot wasn’t occupied by an American and, even more impressively, the first time that a person from a developing country topped the list. Although Slim is fabulously wealthy, he lives a relatively modest life, residing in the same house in Mexico City for the last 40 years. His extreme wealth and steadfast humility make him a unique creature in the world of the rich and famous. The most revelatory book available about this Mexican business magnate, comprised entirely of Slim's own thought-provoking and inspiring quotes, The World's Richest Man: Carlos Slim In His Own Words is a comprehensive guidebook to the inner workings of the world's wealthiest man and one of its most prominent philanthropists. Over 200 quotes on business, investing, entrepreneurship, leadership, management, wealth, and life provide an intimate and direct look into the mind of this modern business icon.




Virgin Rebel


Book Description

A collection of thought-provoking direct quotes from Richard Branson on topics related to business, entrepreneurship, the Virgin Group, philanthropy, and life.