11 Quotes & Sayings By Thomas Friedman

Thomas Friedman is an American columnist, author, and diplomat. He was born in New York City. He received his BA at Brandeis University in 1964, and his MA at the University of California, Berkeley in 1966. From 1966 to 1968 he was a graduate student at the University of Paris (Sorbonne) Read more

From 1968 to 1971 he was a reporter for The New York Times, where he won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. He has written for The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Harper's, The New Republic, and The Washington Post Magazine. He has also served as a foreign correspondent for The New York Times since 1982.

He served as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from 1993 to 1995. Thomas married his wife Jane in 1967; they have two sons.

1
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
2
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
3
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
4
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
5
Optimists are usually wrong. But all the great change in history, positive change, was done by optimists. Thomas Friedman
6
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
7
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
8
We are led by lawyers who do not understand either technology or balance sheets. Thomas Friedman
9
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
10
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