Welcome to a collection of insightful and thought-provoking quotes by one of the most influential voices in contemporary journalism, Thomas Friedman. With a career spanning decades, Friedman has carved a niche for himself as a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and columnist, renowned for his astute observations on globalization, technology, and geopolitics. His writings, characterized by a unique blend of wit, wisdom, and foresight, have resonated with audiences worldwide, offering valuable perspectives on the complex interplay between society, politics, and the global economy.
Through his bestselling books such as The World is Flat and Thank You for Being Late, Thomas Friedman has dissected the intricacies of our interconnected world, illuminating the profound impact of rapid technological advancements and globalization on societies, economies, and individuals. With a keen eye for emerging trends and a knack for deciphering their implications, Friedman’s insights continue to inform and inspire policymakers, business leaders, and ordinary citizens alike, urging us to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century with clarity and resolve.
I am hoping, though, that many of them have kids, who, when they have a moment to take a break from their iPods, Internet, or Google, will explain to their parents running the country just how the world is being flattened. Thomas Friedman
I can see a day soon where you’ll create your own college degree by taking the best online courses from the best professors from around the world – some computing from Stanford, some entrepreneurship from Wharton, some ethics from Brandeis, some literature from Edinburgh – paying only the nominal fee for the certificates of completion. Thomas Friedman
A golf course should aspire to generate as much energy as it consumes – golf should be leading the way toward energy net zero. Thomas Friedman
Capitalism and political systems – like companies – must constantly evolve to stay vital. Thomas Friedman
There is nothing more valuable than great classroom instruction. But let’s stop putting the whole burden on teachers. We also need better parents. Better parents can make every teacher more effective. Thomas Friedman
If the Republican Party continues to take the view that there must be no tax increases, we’re stuck. Capitalism can’t work without safety nets or fiscal prudence, and we need both in a sustainable balance. Thomas Friedman
The merger of globalization and the I.T. revolution means new products are being phased in and out so fast that companies cannot afford to wait until the end of the year to figure out whether a team leader is doing a good job. Thomas Friedman
If you followed this economic crisis and you do not think that the world is getting flatter, you are not paying attention. We saw the entire global economy at one time acting totally in sync. The real truth is the world is even flatter than I thought. Our mortgage crisis is killing Deutsche Bank. You still don’t think the world is flat? Thomas Friedman
Golf has an ambivalent relationship with the environment. On one hand, it’s a great preserver of open spaces. Golf doesn’t pave the world – it helps to green the world. But the downside is, it uses a lot of fertilizer, pesticides and water. Thomas Friedman
When I think back on my favorite teachers, I don’t remember anymore much of what they taught me, but I sure remember being excited about learning it. What has stayed with me are not the facts they imparted, but the excitement about learning they inspired. Thomas Friedman
John Kennedy led us on a journey to discover the moon. Obama needs to lead us on a journey to rediscover, rebuild and reinvent our own backyard. Thomas Friedman
Do you know what my favorite renewable fuel is? An ecosystem for innovation. Thomas Friedman
If you don’t visit the bad neighborhoods, the bad neighborhoods are going to visit you. Thomas Friedman
I’m from Minnesota. I’m optimistic. I mean, that’s just who I am. Thomas Friedman
Sometimes, when my wife and I were going out to dinner, I would take my laptop with me and work in the car, so as to take advantage of the half hour going and coming. Thomas Friedman
America needs rebooting. Thomas Friedman
Many jobs at Google require math, computing, and coding skills, so if your good grades truly reflect skills in those areas that you can apply, it would be an advantage. But Google has its eyes on much more. Thomas Friedman
I attended public school with the same group of kids from K through 12. Thomas Friedman
We are led by lawyers who do not understand either technology or balance sheets. Thomas Friedman
Basically all the world’s computer parts come from the same supply chain that runs from Korea, down through coastal China, over to Taiwan, and down to Malaysia. Thomas Friedman
The country that owns green, that dominates that industry, is going to have the most energy security, national security, economic security, competitive companies, healthy population and, most of all, global respect. Thomas Friedman
We say that necessity is the mother of invention, and no country has more of a necessity to develop clean power than China. Thomas Friedman
Many authors hate to go on grinding book tours. But I’ve always found it a useful way to be a foreign correspondent in America and take the pulse of the country. Thomas Friedman
When you go along in life and develop whatever notoriety you do, people begin to relate to you differently, and I’m just always most comfortable with the people I grew up with. Thomas Friedman
Optimists are usually wrong. But all the great change in history, positive change, was done by optimists. Thomas Friedman
The historical debate is over. The answer is free-market capitalism. Thomas Friedman
I’ve always enjoyed the communal side of Jewish life. Thomas Friedman
The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention argues that no two countries that are both part of the same global supply chain will ever fight a war as long as they are each part of that supply chain. Thomas Friedman
Whatever you may be thinking when you apply for a job today, you can be sure the employer is asking this: Can this person add value every hour, every day – more than a worker in India, a robot or a computer? Can he or she help my company adapt by not only doing the job today but also reinventing the job for tomorrow? Thomas Friedman
When I wrote ‘The World Is Flat,’ I said the world is flat. Yeah, we’re all connected. Facebook didn’t exist; Twitter was a sound; the cloud was in the sky; 4G was a parking place; LinkedIn was a prison; applications were what you sent to college; and Skype, for most people, was a typo. Thomas Friedman
What is al Qaeda? It’s an open source religious political movement that works off the global supply chain. Thomas Friedman
Inspiring conduct has so much more of an impact than coercing it. Thomas Friedman
If you don’t have an ethic of conservation, you basically have a license to drive a Hummer through the Amazon. Thomas Friedman
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
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
Being really good at ‘learning how to learn,’ as President Bill Brody of Johns Hopkins put it, will be an enormous asset in an era of rapid change and innovation, when new jobs will be phased in and old ones phased out faster than ever. Thomas Friedman
Natural gas emits only half the carbon dioxide of coal when burned, but if methane leaks when oil companies extract it from the ground in a sloppy manner – methane is far more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide – it can wipe out all the advantages of natural gas over coal. Thomas Friedman
I basically did all the library research for this book on Google, and it not only saved me enormous amounts of time but actually gave me a much richer offering of research in a shorter time. Thomas Friedman
Google attracts so much talent, it can afford to look beyond traditional metrics, like G.P.A. For most young people, though, going to college and doing well is still the best way to master the tools needed for many careers. Thomas Friedman
America still has the right stuff to thrive. We still have the most creative, diverse, innovative culture and open society – in a world where the ability to imagine and generate new ideas with speed and to implement them through global collaboration is the most important competitive advantage. Thomas Friedman
We need to become energy independent or at least aspire to that. Thomas Friedman
We need better neighbors, neighbors that care about the schools in their neighborhood whether they have kids in them or not, because they know that the health and vitality of that neighborhood depends on it. Thomas Friedman
When I was growing up, my parents told me, ‘Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.’ I tell my daughters, ‘Finish your homework. People in India and China are starving for your job.’ Thomas Friedman
Netscape brought the Internet alive with the browser. They made the Internet so that Grandma could use it, and her grandchildren could use it. The second thing that Netscape did was commercialize a set of open transmission protocols so that no company could own the Net. Thomas Friedman
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
Entrepreneurs don’t write a 100-page business plan and execute it one time; they’re always experimenting and adapting based on what they learn. Thomas Friedman
The more Israel sinks into the West Bank, the more it is delegitimized and isolated, the more the world focuses on Israel’s colonialism rather than Iran’s nuclear enrichment, the more people call for a single democratic state in all of historic Palestine. Thomas Friedman
Al Qaeda is nothing more than a mutant supply chain. They’re playing off the same platform as Wal-Mart and Dell. They’re just not restrained by it. What is al Qaeda? It’s an open source religious political movement that works off the global supply chain. That’s what we’re up against in Iraq. We’re up against a suicide supply chain. Thomas Friedman
Being one of my sources is exhausting. It’s not one interview and you’re done. I keep going back until I feel like I understand everything. Thomas Friedman
We need a proper balance between government spending on nursing homes and nursery schools – on the last six months of life and the first six months of life. Thomas Friedman
You’ll know the green revolution has been won when the word ‘green’ disappears. Thomas Friedman
Yes, the world is now flat for publishing as well. Thomas Friedman
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
There’s nothing like living a little close to the edge that gets you motivated to ensure that you get the credentials you need to succeed. Thomas Friedman
No, most of our political elite has not realized that the world is flat. Thomas Friedman
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
Nature is regulating our climate for free. Mother Nature, she’s been doing that for free, for a long, long time. Now do you really want to get in there and do geo-engineering and all this kind of stuff? Thomas Friedman
Every golf course should have its carbon rating on the scorecard, alongside its Course Rating, Slope, par and yardage. Thomas Friedman
Two things are going on at the same time with the flattening of the world: The relentless quest for efficiency is squeezing some of the fat out of life. Thomas Friedman
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
You win the presidency by connecting with the American people’s gut insecurities and aspirations. You win with a concept. Thomas Friedman
I firmly believe that the next great breakthrough in bioscience could come from a 15-year-old who downloads the human genome in Egypt. Thomas Friedman
McDonald’s cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the designer of the F-15. Thomas Friedman
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
Presidents grow up in the White House. The times shape the man. Thomas Friedman
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
The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist. Thomas Friedman
I was in Bangalore, India, the Silicon Valley of India, when I realized that the world was flat. Thomas Friedman
Rock stars get room keys, I get business cards. Wherever I go I meet innovators of wind power equipment, solar energy operators. Thomas Friedman
No matter where I go – London, Beirut, Jerusalem, Washington, Beijing, or Bangalore – I’m always looking to rediscover that land of ten thousand lakes where politics actually worked to make people’s lives better, not pull them apart. Thomas Friedman
I said that more people in more places can now compete, connect and collaborate with equal power and equal tools than ever before. Thomas Friedman
Al Qaeda is nothing more than a mutant supply chain. They’re playing off the same platform as Wal-Mart and Dell. They’re just not restrained by it. What is al Qaeda? It’s an open source religious political movement that works off the global supply chain. Thomas Friedman
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
Supply chains cannot tolerate even 24 hours of disruption. So if you lose your place in the supply chain because of wild behavior you could lose a lot. It would be like pouring cement down one of your oil wells. Thomas Friedman
By ‘flat’ I did not mean that the world is getting equal. I said that more people in more places can now compete, connect and collaborate with equal power and equal tools than ever before. That’s why an Indian in Bangalore can take care of the office work of American doctors or read the X-rays of German hospitals. Thomas Friedman
There’s no question that a great teacher can make a huge difference in a student’s achievement, and we need to recruit, train and reward more such teachers. But here’s what some new studies are also showing: We need better parents. Parents more focused on their children’s education can also make a huge difference in a student’s achievement. Thomas Friedman
Every sport needs its temple, its cathedral. Thomas Friedman
Lord knows there’s a lot of bad news in the world today to get you down, but there is one big thing happening that leaves me incredibly hopeful about the future, and that is the budding revolution in global online higher education. Thomas Friedman
I have a daughter who is a sophomore in college and another who is in the 11th grade of high school. Thomas Friedman
Rock stars get room keys, I get business cards. Thomas Friedman
When it comes to dealing with the world’s climate and energy challenges, I have a simple rule: change America, change the world. Thomas Friedman
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
I’ve been a critic of the antiglobalization movement, and they’ve been a critic of me, but the one thing I respect about the movement is their authentic energy. These are not people who don’t care about the world. Thomas Friedman
There is no substitute for face-to-face reporting and research. Thomas Friedman