Henry R. Kravis
Financier; co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
One person that is my role model is my father. ... He’s a man who taught me something very important. And that was — give back to society what you’ve taken out.
Recorded
Academy of Achievement interview, 12 February 1991
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Sachin Tendulkar
India Test and one-day international cricketer, 1989–2013
He gave me freedom at the age of 11, and told me that [I should] chase my dreams, but make sure you do not find short cuts. The path might be difficult, but don't give up, and I have simply followed his instructions. […] Every time I have done something special [and] showed my bat, it was [for] my father.
Recorded
Farewell address, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, The Hindu, 16 November 2013
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Lynsey Addario
Photojournalist and war photographer; Pulitzer Prize winner, 2009
My parents also said, “Don’t follow money. Follow your heart and you’ll be successful.” That’s all they told me and my sisters.
Recorded
Academy of Achievement recorded interview, American Academy of Achievement, 21 October 2017
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Elan Lee
Game designer; co-creator of Exploding Kittens
There’s a few that are immediate, because he just drilled them into my head. One is “Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd.” Try as hard as you want to market something, get a crowd. That’s what actually matters. Another one that he still says all the time is, “You’ve got a violin, I’ve got a barn. Let’s put on a show. Don’t overthink this, just go.
Recorded
Tim Ferriss, The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, 4 February 2023
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“David, you are going to walk among kings.” This was my mum’s prophecy when I was small. My father is from a royal family in Nigeria, so I interpreted it that way. Remarkably, she was right: I went on to play King Pelasgus, Henry VI, Martin Luther King and Seretse Khama.
Recorded
The Observer / The Guardian, 19 April 2025
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