Through the Fellows Program, Acumen Fund prepares future global leaders with the tools necessary to drive significant social change. 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-provokingperfectionjobs 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 empathysurvivalhands 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 humilitydreamway 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 entrepreneurfightingneeds 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 compassiondreampast 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 denialchoicesself 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 impactstrongsuccessful I feel like I'm a relentless, pragmatic, determined optimist. Jacqueline Novogratz relentlessoptimistdetermined A sustainable world means working together to create prosperity for all. Jacqueline Novogratz working-togethermeanworld Sometimes the most important things that we do are things we cannot measure. Jacqueline Novogratz thought-provokingimportantsometimes We need moral leadership and courage in our world. Jacqueline Novogratz moral-leadershipthought-provokingour-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 leaderrealpeople 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 leaderexpertsthinking Poverty is not only about income levels, but for lack of freedom that comes from physical insecurity Jacqueline Novogratz incomeinsecuritylevels Being poor doesn't mean being ordinary. Jacqueline Novogratz thought-provokingordinarymean 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 strongracecountry Our actions - and inaction - touch people every day, people we may never know and never meet. Jacqueline Novogratz our-actionsmaypeople 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 aidsentrepreneurcharity Dignity is more important to the human spirit than wealth. Jacqueline Novogratz thought-provokingimportantspirit 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 strongopportunitypeople
