9 Quotes & Sayings By Leila Janah

Leila Janah is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin (B.S. in Journalism). She worked for several news organizations before serving as an editor at USA Today. She was named USA Today's "Personality of the Year" in 2010 and "Top 10 Women in Business" by Working Mother Magazine in 2011 Read more

Her first book, The Perfect Mark: The Truth About Finding Your Path to Success, was released by Random House on January 20, 2012. It is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble .

1
I think the philosophy that you have to have if you travel frequently is, stuff is just stuff. Even if it has some sentimental or family connection, if you lose it in the world, it's still just a thing, and I think if you don't have that attitude, you will get incredibly stressed out and not enjoy your travels. Leila Janah
2
Migration is the story of my life: my parents and grandparents journeyed across four continents to flee war and find jobs, eventually finding their way to the U.S. Leila Janah
3
In terms of environmental impact, Samasource jobs are very green. Our product is human intelligence, and it's transported through the Internet rather than via carbon-intensive trucking, shipping, and warehousing. Leila Janah
4
True leadership isn't about having an idea. It's about having an idea and recruiting other people to execute on this vision. Leila Janah
5
I think people are hungry for new ideas and leadership in the world of poverty alleviation. Most development programs are started and led by people with Ph.Ds in economics or policy. Samasource is part of a cadre of younger organizations headed by entrepreneurs from non-traditional backgrounds. Leila Janah
6
Often, we think that things are the way they are because of intelligent design - because somebody super-smart, or some group of academics, came up with the best system ever to do XYZ. Actually, things are often the way they are because of an accident of history. Leila Janah
7
The core concept of Samasource is essentially that technology helps us unlock human talent wherever it may happen to reside. That we should no longer be victims of the birth lottery. That no one should be stuck in a poor place where they don't have a job simply because of an accident of birth. Leila Janah
8
I think part of the problem with charity is that it tends to make us view people as helpless victims. I think in the future, we'll look back on charity in the same way that we look back on colonialism today: as a very paternalistic system that doesn't fully recognise the full spectrum of humanity. Leila Janah