Theodore J. Forstmann Quotes

I did commit to giving my first billion away.

I think people like Bill Gates, who have given away enormous sums of money, are shining examples for all of us to follow.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have their 'Giving Pledge,' where billionaires promise to give away the majority of their wealth when they die. My Social Security Pledge is better - to give money to good causes when you are alive. Besides, more Americans can participate.

A check or credit card, a Gucci bag strap, anything of value will do. Give as you live.

I give away about 50 percent of my income, so my, you know, desire to give back to the country is pretty strong and I intend to give away a lot more. I've signed the giving pledge with Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, and I intend to give away the bulk of my money.

There is a place and a time for philanthropy, and there is only so much money you can give away.

I like being able to donate my comedy to charity. I'm not a billionaire, and I can't write checks.

The most amazing philanthropists are people who are actually making a significant sacrifice.

More money gives me the chance to help more people, to give something back.

I wish people would go and just read about this man's life - about David Koch's life... Of the literally hundreds of millions of dollars that he has given to a variety of different hospitals.

What's success all about? What's philanthropy all about? Let's think of our legacy, following in the footsteps of some great Americans like the Carnegies and the Mellons who used their wealth for quality purposes.

Philanthropy is fun and fulfilling.

I had one idea that never changed in my mind - that you should use your wealth to help people.

No one has ever become poor by giving.

Philanthropy is in the DNA of my family.

I'm a sucker for giving people money on the street. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing, but I can't help myself.

Generous people can become more generous as they become richer, giving away vast fortunes to worthwhile causes as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are doing.

Today, we don't blink an eye when the world's wealthiest individuals donate enormous sums of money to charitable causes. In fact, we expect them to do so.

I launched Chefs for Humanity, a national nonprofit, with my voice, heart and money from my own pocket. Money gives you the ability to make a difference in the world and, when used in a positive way, is a lot of fun.

I think that people who make a lot of money - and I do - should certainly give a considerable amount of it away.

For me, I get immense pleasure out of giving. I do what I can. I try and give around 10% of my earnings a year. Some years, I give more, some I give less.

For over 35 years, I've been making charitable donations anonymously.

At least once a year, I meet with a group called the Giving Pledge. It's a group of billionaires - including me, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Ted Turner - who have pledged to give away most of their money to charity. We meet for three days to talk about what we're doing to help make the planet a better place to live.

There are a lot of people with a lot of money, and I'm amazed they don't understand what a great pleasure it can be to give.

I see this as my humanitarian legacy. We're prepared to pay billions.