The nightmare thought is that frightening people is the best way to get work out of them, and that somehow the crueler the environment, the more people will rise to the challenge. You want to think, who would you like as your ideal dad? And your ideal dad is somebody who is tough but gentle. And it's a very hard line to make. We need fathers, as it were, the exemplary father figures in society, avoiding the two extremes, which is the authoritarian disciplinarian on the one hand, and on the other, the lax, no-rules option.
梦魇是相信恐吓人们是刺激他们发奋的最好办法，或是环境越残酷，就会有越多人接受挑战。你必须想，你的理想父亲是怎样的？你的理想父亲往往是严厉又温和的，虽然这界限很难画定，我们社会需要的模范性人物是像一个理想父亲，不要走极端，不要完全集权、纯粹纪律，也不要模糊马虎，乱无规章。
The greatest stories are those that reveal the human heart in conflict with itself.
A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.
The spread of liberal democracy and the integration of the world economy are the two main forces driving the world towards the end of history.
If you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind.
Leadership is not about being in charge. It's about taking care of those in your charge.
作家必须甘于孤独。
2014年：贝索斯致股东信《投资那些具有无限上升空间的创意》
I’m a winner. I’m going to win.
Form follows force, not just form follows function.