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Anthony Kennedy
Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
We're so fortunate. Either by accident or history or providence or design, I think all those. The self-definition, the self-image of an American relates to his or her Constitution. No other country in the world has that. We can't be smug about this and say no other country in the world can have a constitution, but this accounts for the fact that our Constitution is the oldest constitution in the world. I've had the heads of foreign governments ask me, "I think I should amend the constitution to do this and that," usually something that helps them over the short term. And I say, "You know, a constitution, by definition, is something that has to last over time." Madison said, "The Constitution must acquire the reverence of its people, and it can only acquire that reverence over time." And so, the court wants to -- is a way, is one way of reminding Americans, of reminding ourselves that the Constitution must transcend the emotions and the opinions of a particular day. And so, criticism doesn't bother me. I think criticism is very important. The Constitution doesn't belong to a bunch of judges and lawyers. It belongs to you. It's yours. Now, we have to interpret it in this formal way, but you have to live it.
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Jeong Kim
President of Bell Labs
Korean immigrant history is relatively short, and most of us came at a time which was 1975, looking for better economic opportunities. They had almost no money when they came. Most of us, most of our parents, actually had to walk to work, which is kind of impossible in today's environment because everything is so far. You know, a couple hours walk just to get to work. Most of us had to get our clothing from thrift shops, 50 cent kind of things because they didn't have any money. I guess there is a language barrier, obviously, because I never spoke English until I came to the States. And, I was actually a shy kind of person, so it was even more difficult. In some ways, that was probably one of the most stressful times in my life, not necessarily because life was harder, but because you are a teenager, you couldn't take it as well, and I used to have a nose bleeding all the time coming home, just simply from stress.
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Jeong Kim
President of Bell Labs
In other countries, when you try and fail, you really fail. People basically look at you as a failure. Here people look at that as an excellent experience. And even if you fail, most people will walk away saying that, "Well, at least I tried. Most people don't even try." We have an attitude, I think in the United States. Only in the United States, people take that kind of attitude that we all need to take a risk. If it doesn't work out, at least I was brave enough that I did try it.
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James V. Kimsey
Founding Chairman,
America Online
At the time I wished I had come from a rich family -- obviously, as you looked around and saw the other kids, particularly in the later years in high school, getting cars and so forth -- that I'd come from a more wealthy family. But, in retrospect I think it was probably a good thing to grow up poor because if you do achieve some success in life you really appreciate it. If I had grown up in a wealthy family I'd probably take all this for granted right now. But, I'm now like a little kid enjoying himself.
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James V. Kimsey
Founding Chairman,
America Online
A movie, The Long Gray Line had just come out, and so West Point had a certain cachet back then that it's gone through having less of in various times, and hopefully will regain again. So at that point, it was a free education and it looked like the kind of thing that was -- it drew me as a kid, as an 18-year-old kid, just looking at the movies, watching the episodes on TV and recognizing that there was a certain egalitarianism to the whole process, that all the kids went in equal. It didn't make any difference how much money you had or didn't have. That I think drew me.
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James V. Kimsey
Founding Chairman,
America Online
There's only four things you can do with your money: you can give it to the government, you can spend it, you can give it to your ungrateful kids to their detriment. And my sons -- I have three -- all understand this. I never want to deprive them of the wonderful feeling of making it on their own. I don't think you do your kids a favor by leaving them a lot of money, or letting them think they're working with a net. And so, the fourth and final thing you can do with your money is give it to charity, or do something good with it. And I think it's incumbent on everybody with any amount of money at all to start thinking like that.
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