Some Words Of Wisdom For College Grads, Courtesy Of Bill Gates

If a net worth of $87.5 billion and a heart for philanthropy are any testament, Bill Gates has wisdom. So, naturally, his advice is aggressively sought.

Parents want it to guide their progeny. Youth covet it to, well, become Bill Gates. The Microsoft Corporation MSFT co-founder wouldn’t say it, but he knows he’s a sort of 21st-century paragon.

And in his understanding, Gates wrapped his arm around his young disciples Monday and lent a fatherly, Twitter Inc TWTR-storm pep talk.

End Goals

Not everything Gates did is, in his esteem, worthy of replication. He conceded one big regret.

“When I left school, I knew little about the world’s worst inequities,” Gates tweeted. “Took me decades to learn. You know more than I did when I was your age. You can start fighting inequity, whether down the street or around the world, sooner.”

To start, Gates steered young talent toward artificial intelligence, energy and biosciences, which he considers fields poised to make an impact. “It’s what I would do if starting out today,” he said.

But intellectual contributions, alone, aren’t a panacea for world’s woes. Reflecting on the inexperience of a young Gates circa 1975, he said he wishes he would have known the importance of non-academic talent.

“Intelligence takes many different forms,” he tweeted. “It is not one-dimensional. And not as important as I used to think.”

Graduates have more to learn, and Gates advised them to continue their education socially, through positive relationships that challenge, teach and awaken one’s “best self.” But those relationships ought to flow two ways, reflecting a philosophy of others-centricity.

“Like @WarrenBuffett I measure my happiness by whether people close to me are happy and love me, & by the difference I make for others,” he wrote.

A Parting Gift

As a virtual graduation present, he recommended Steven Pinker’s “The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined” — the most inspiring book he’s ever read. Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN sales of the text popped 605,000 percent on Gates’ endorsement.

The thesis, he said, is one of optimism: the world is improving, and peace is coming.

“That matters because if you think the world is getting better, you want to spread the progress to more people and places,” he tweeted. “It doesn’t mean you ignore the serious problems we face. It just means you believe they can be solved. This is the core of my worldview. It sustains me in tough times and is the reason I love my work. I think it can do same for you. This is an amazing time to be alive. I hope you make the most of it.”

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