ELI BROAD

Anything I do, I spend a lot of time. I do it with passion and intensity. I want to be in charge.

Los Angeles is such a great meritocracy. Where can someone with my background - don't have the right family background, the right religion, the right provenance or whatever you want to call it - I come here and I'm accepted. The city's been good to me. And I want to give back.

Museums do not share their collections with other museums unless they get something in exchange. The Metropolitan will deal with the Louvre, but will they send their stuff to Memphis? No.

Someone once told me I'm a sore winner, and they're right. I rarely take more than a moment to enjoy a success before I'm moving on and looking for the next challenge.

I'd be bored to death if I spent all my time with other businesspeople, bankers and lawyers.

Without a doubt, stem cell research will lead to the dramatic improvement in the human condition and will benefit millions of people.

Time is the most valuable thing you have - and I'm not just talking about the minutes for which you're paid.

You can have great teachers, but if you don't have a good principal, you won't have a good school.

As the son of a union activist and a lifelong Democrat, I've always thought that privatizing our public schools is not the answer. We must strengthen public schools.

Charity is just writing checks and not being engaged. Philanthropy, to me, is being engaged, not only with your resources but getting people and yourself really involved and doing things that haven't been done before.

For businesses to be successful, they need to constantly ask the question: 'How can we provide value to our customers?' At the end of the day, that is what matters.

I've become convinced that Los Angeles is going to become the next contemporary art capital - no other city has more contemporary gallery space than Los Angeles. We've come into our own, finally.

I believe in two things: One, Andrew Carnegie said, 'He who dies with wealth dies in shame.' And someone once said, 'He who gives while he lives also knows where it goes.'

What artists think about the world is often different from how we businessmen see it, and I find that an enriching experience.

My family and I have been blessed with good fortune in the world of business. We've created quite a net worth. My children, two boys, have more money than they will ever need, and they aren't empire builders.

I don't think it makes any sense for an individual to invest in common stocks unless they know the company, work at the company, and so on.

A real collector does not sell.

If you have poor management that's not doing the right job, you end up with unions filling the void and... page after page of work rules and thicker and thicker contracts.

I believe in the democratization of the arts. What do I mean by that? I think museums, with some exceptions, have a responsibility to educate a much broader public.

Oprah Winfrey's global influence is unparalleled. Not only has her generosity and firm belief that education is the key to a better life benefited countless women and children around the world, but her example has also inspired millions of people to give back in ways big and small.

Teach For America provides one of the most critical pipelines for bringing new talent into public education.

The best move you can make in negotiation is to think of an incentive the other person hasn't even thought of - and then meet it.

It's hard to explain your emotions when you see a work of art.

I have always believed that every great city in history needs a vibrant center.

The unions no longer control the education agenda of the Democratic Party.