Being poor doesn't mean being ordinary. Jacqueline Novogratz More Quotes by Jacqueline Novogratz More Quotes From Jacqueline Novogratz Your job is not to be perfect, your job is only to be human. Jacqueline Novogratz thought-provoking perfection jobs I've learned that there is no currency like trust and no catalyst like hope. There is nothing worse for building relationships than pandering, on one hand, and preaching, on the other. And the most important quality we must all strengthen in ourselves is that of a deep human empathy, for that will provide the most hope of all and the foundation for our collective survival. Jacqueline Novogratz empathy survival hands The only way we really create change is to enter any situation with the humility to listen and to recognize the world as it is, and then the audacity to dream what it could be. Jacqueline Novogratz humility dream way By going from the bottom-up again, we see where successes work, and you can also see where the status quo can be the biggest obstacle or roadblock to success. The kind of entrepreneurs in whom we need to invest are the kind who are willing to fight that status quo, bureaucracy, complacency, and corruption. Jacqueline Novogratz entrepreneur fighting needs Every day we have a choice. We can take the easier road, the more cynical road, which is a road sometimes based on a dream of a past that never was, fear of each other, distancing and blame, or we can take the much more difficult path, the road of transformation, transcendence, compassion, and love, but also accountability and justice. Jacqueline Novogratz compassion dream past When we deny the poor and the vulnerable their own human dignity and capacity for freedom and choice, it becomes self-denial. It becomes a denial of both our collective and individual dignity, at all levels of society. Jacqueline Novogratz denial choices self When it comes to solving problems of poverty, impact investing can act as a catalyst, but it is not a silver bullet. Successful businesses serving the poor need more than investment capital. They also need infrastructure to enable effective distribution, strong regulatory systems, access to markets, technical assistance as they scale up, and more Jacqueline Novogratz impact strong successful I feel like I'm a relentless, pragmatic, determined optimist. Jacqueline Novogratz relentless optimist determined A sustainable world means working together to create prosperity for all. Jacqueline Novogratz working-together mean world Sometimes the most important things that we do are things we cannot measure. Jacqueline Novogratz thought-provoking important sometimes We need moral leadership and courage in our world. Jacqueline Novogratz moral-leadership thought-provoking our-world I still feel that the kind of leader I want to be is one that spends time understanding our work in a way that allows me to translate it for policymakers and people who have real access to resources. Jacqueline Novogratz leader real people I think we so often equate leadership with being experts - the leader is supposed to come in and fix things. But in this interconnected world we live in now, it's almost impossible for just one person to do that. Jacqueline Novogratz leader experts thinking Poverty is not only about income levels, but for lack of freedom that comes from physical insecurity Jacqueline Novogratz income insecurity levels There are 60 million generators in Nigeria. The generator owners and distributors have a strong incentive to not encourage the distribution of solar and other alternative energies, even though it's better for the country, it's better for people. As a world, we've got to get more serious about confronting those obstacles. This knows no culture, no race, no ethnicity. Jacqueline Novogratz strong race country Our actions - and inaction - touch people every day, people we may never know and never meet. Jacqueline Novogratz our-actions may people Entrepreneurs are the seekers of solutions, and that they will go into these places where both market and traditional aid has failed or traditional charity has failed. Jacqueline Novogratz aids entrepreneur charity Dignity is more important to the human spirit than wealth. Jacqueline Novogratz thought-provoking important spirit If you're looking at distributing alternative energy in Nigeria, for instance, what gets in your way is not people's ability to pay, not people's desire for a clean solar lamps or biomass opportunities. But there is a strong status quo that really depends on selling diesel. Jacqueline Novogratz strong opportunity people The only way we really create change is to enter any situation with the humility to listen and to recognize the world as it is, and then the audacity to dream what it could be, to have the patience to start and let the work teach you, to be willing to lead when you need to lead, and to listen. To have a sense of generosity and empathy, but not over-empathy, because accountability is so critical to building solutions that work. Jacqueline Novogratz generosity humility dream
