Iraq today does have a chance to shape its own future. They may not do that, or this generation may not do that. But maybe the next one will, I don't know. They may try and fail, and stumble, get up and fall back. Thomas Friedman More Quotes by Thomas Friedman More Quotes From Thomas Friedman I attended public school with the same group of kids from K through 12. Thomas Friedman groups kids school I love America. I think it's the best country in the world. But I also think we're not tending to our sauce. Thomas Friedman country america thinking McDonald's cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the builder of the F-15. Thomas Friedman mcdonalds designer My mom enlisted in the U.S. Navy in World War II, and my parents actually bought our home thanks to the loan she got through the GI Bill. Thomas Friedman mom home war We are led by lawyers who do not understand either technology or balance sheets. Thomas Friedman balance technology feet You'll know the green revolution has been won when the word 'green' disappears. Thomas Friedman disappear green revolution There's a difference between being able to make long distance phone calls cheaper on the Internet and walking around Riyadh with a PDA where you can have all of Google in your pocket. It's a difference in degree that's so enormous it becomes a difference in kind. Thomas Friedman distance differences phones You take one bomber and deploy him in Baghdad, and another is manufactured in Riyadh the next day. It's exactly like when you take the toy off the shelf at Wal-Mart and another is made in Shen Zhen the next day. Thomas Friedman riyadh baghdad next-day I think we have lost our groove as a country. One of the reasons was the attack on 9/11. We got knocked off our game. From a country that always exported hope we went into the business of exporting fear. Thomas Friedman games country thinking It created a global platform that allowed more people to plug and play, collaborate and compete, share knowledge and share work, than anything we have ever seen in the history of the world. Thomas Friedman play people world Several technological and political forces have converged, and that has produced a global, Web-enabled playing field that allows for multiple forms of collaboration without regard to geography or distance - or soon, even language. Thomas Friedman collaboration distance political We've gone from thinking the fuels that powered our growth were inexpensive, inexhaustible and benign to understanding they are exhaustible, expensive and toxic. Once you frame the problem that way, people will look at solutions differently. Thomas Friedman understanding people thinking America is the greatest engine of innovation that has ever existed, and it can't be duplicated anytime soon, because it is the product of a multitude of factors: extreme freedom of thought, an emphasis on independent thinking, a steady immigration of new minds, a risk-taking culture with no stigma attached to trying and failing, a noncorrupt bureaucracy, and financial markets and a venture capital system that are unrivaled at taking new ideas and turning them into global products. Thomas Friedman independent ideas thinking Almost all the students who make it to Caltech, one of the best scientific universities in the world, come from public schools. So it can be done. Thomas Friedman done world school If you don't have an ethic of conservation, you basically have a license to drive a Hummer through the Amazon. Thomas Friedman amazon conservation ethics Every sport needs its temple, its cathedral. Thomas Friedman temples sports needs I'm a capitalist. I believe in capitalism. But capitalism only works if you have safety nets to deal with people who are naturally left behind and brutalized by it. Thomas Friedman safety believe people In Globalization 1.0, which began around 1492, the world went from size large to size medium. In Globalization 2.0, the era that introduced us to multinational companies, it went from size medium to size small. And then around 2000 came Globalization 3.0, in which the world went from being small to tiny. Thomas Friedman tiny eras world Rock stars get room keys, I get business cards. Thomas Friedman rocks stars keys The historical debate is over. The answer is free-market capitalism. Thomas Friedman debate historical answers
