John Wood found himself on a trek in the Himalayas where he was brought face to face with extreme poverty and illiteracy. Leaving his job at Microsoft as the Director of business development, Wood has progressed his cause thus far to more than 1.7 million children that are impacted by the 725 schools opened thus far. Here is a look at some of the best John Wood quotes that help to capture the essence of his cause.
“All kind of marvelous things go on. I don’t see how anyone who has looked, and seen, can do ought but say, ‘where I stand, wherever I stand, I am on holy ground.”
“Books were considered precious. The school had so few that the teachers did not want to risk the children damaging them. I wondered how a book could impart knowledge if it was locked up, but kept that thought to myself.”
“Did it really matter how many copies of Windows we sold in Taiwan this month when millions of children were without access to books?”
“Did my job really matter? A successful year would only help a rich company get richer.”
“Don’t ask for permission. Just dive in.”
“Don’t tell us all the reasons this might not work. Tell us all the ways it could work.”
Yeah – @AmyMariePowell parents back in town! Celebrating w/ sunset drink @UpperHouse_HKG #CafeGrey pic.twitter.com/LBVVgdmaY6
— John Wood (@johnwoodRTR) July 11, 2016
“Educated people make more money and are more likely to escape poverty. Educated parents raise healthier children.”
“Education alone may not be enough to guarantee economic success. There are other success factors that matter, like good governance, rule of law, and access to trading routes and partners.”
“Education, after all, is the one issue that affects every other one. I think of it in the same way as dropping a pebble into a pond and getting a ripple effect”
“I knew that I had to free myself from any constraints that would prevent the pursuit of these dreams.”
“If that’s what you want to do, then you should go do it-and do it well.”
“If we were lucky enough to be living a good life, we should recognize this gift and thank God for it by looking out for others who need our help in breaking out of the cycle of poverty.”
On #HongKong Harbour, cruising with @AmyMariePowell #happyhappy pic.twitter.com/Li14iU4KYD
— John Wood (@johnwoodRTR) July 12, 2016
“If you are thinking about making some adjustments in you life to allow you to help change the world, my heartfelt recommendation is not to spend too much time thinking about it. Just dive in.”
“If you are willing to work hard and make sacrifices and think long term, then Room to Read is the best organization for you. If you’re looking for a handout, then you should look elsewhere.”
“Literacy is as vital as food, security, limiting population growth, and control of the environment.”
“Look, there are two ways to remove a Band-Aid: slowly and painfully, or quickly and painfully. Your choice.”
“My view of the charity world is that compared with business, there is too much talk, way too many meetings and expert panels and blue-ribbon commissions, and not enough action.”
“Parents everywhere desire a better life for their children. It’s a near constant.”
Ferry crossing in #Mekong Delta with Mr Phong, Country Director for @RoomtoRead #Vietnam pic.twitter.com/Q2Dzk14TBj
— John Wood (@johnwoodRTR) July 4, 2016
“Right now what I need to think about is what would be possible, not all the reasons I can’t make a change.”
“Sometimes, it’s really important to move with all deliberate speed. If there is something out there that you want to do to make the world a better place, don’t focus on the obstacles. ”
“Talent is evenly distributed. You never know how many talented people are out there until you invite and inspire them to be creative.”
“The biggest risk is that a lot of people will try to talk you out of pursuing your dream. ”
“The more time you spend navel-gazing, the longer you give those negative gravitational forces to keep you in their tether.”
“There are two ways to remove a Band-Aid : slowly and painfully, or quickly and painfully. Your choice.”
“We had a policy of “no looking back”. Once a decision was made, all members of our team were expected to stop talking about obstacles and instead focus intensely on solutions.”
Here is one conference given by John Wood as he discusses his reasoning behind leaving Microsoft to change the world. Focused on efforts to assist more than 800 million people around the globe with literacy, check out this speech by John Wood.
Although millions of people visit Brandon's blog each month, his path to success was not easy. Go here to read his incredible story, "From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors." If you want to send Brandon a quick message, then visit his contact page here.