--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We make the future sustainable when we…" description: "\"We make the future sustainable when we invest in the poor, not when we insist on their suffering.\" — Bill Gates" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/bill-gates-137_future_we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-i_2642706.jpg" --- # We make the future sustainable when we invest in the poor… ![“We make the future sustainable when we invest in the poor, not when we insist on their suffering.” quote by Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/bill-gates-137_future_we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-i_2642706.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/bill-gates-137_future_we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-i_2642706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/bill-gates-137_future_we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-i_2642706.jpg) > “We make the future sustainable when we invest in the poor, not when we insist on their suffering.” [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Investing in the poor creates sustainable futures, whereas imposing suffering does not. **In simple terms:** Help the poor for lasting sustainability. Key Takeaway Invest in poverty alleviation for sustainable impact. Themes poverty sustainability investment social equity development economics Mood hopeful strategic compassionate Type policy economic social When to use this quote - development studies - philanthropy - economic strategy Key Concepts impact investing social entrepreneurship global policy Questions to Reflect On - How can investments empower the poor rather than create reliance? - What metrics best measure sustainable impact? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on aid without empowerment can perpetuate dependency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [ \[D\]on’t cling to your self-righteous suffering, let it go. . . . Nothing is too good to be true, let yourself be forgiven. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-levine/d-on-t-cling-to-your-self-righteous-suffering-let-it-go-nothing-is/) [Stephen Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-levine/) > [Conservatives say if you don't give the rich more money, they will lose their incentive to invest. As for the poor, they tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/conservatives-say-if-you-don-t-give-the-rich-more-money-they-will/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I don't eat fish because there is no such thing as sustainable fishing in the world right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-don-t-eat-fish-because-there-is-no-such-thing-as-sustainable/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I think if you don't enjoy something, it's not sustainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-woodward/i-think-if-you-don-t-enjoy-something-it-s-not-sustainable/) [Ella Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-woodward/) > [A religion without rules or God isn't sustainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/a-religion-without-rules-or-god-isn-t-sustainable/) [David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/) > [Sustainability is a political choice, not a technical one. It's not a question of whether we can be sustainable, but whether we choose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sustainability-is-a-political-choice-not-a-technical-one-it-s-not-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People complain that cities don't have fresh, sustainable food, but it's just not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barber/people-complain-that-cities-don-t-have-fresh-sustainable-food-but-it/) [Dan Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barber/) > [We have all this very clever technology and all these abilities to manipulate the world in all these ways, yet we are faced with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grinspoon/we-have-all-this-very-clever-technology-and-all-these-abilities-to/) [David Grinspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grinspoon/) > [“Nature is inexhaustibly sustainable if we care for it. It is our universal responsibility to pass a healthy earth onto future generations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-dolson/nature-is-inexhaustibly-sustainable-if-we-care-for-it-it-is-our/) [Sylvia Dolson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-dolson/) > [A sustainable economy represents nothing less than a higher social order one as concerned with future generations as with our own, and more focused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/a-sustainable-economy-represents-nothing-less-than-a-higher-social/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [With TOMS, I found a way to create sustainable giving and consistently help those who are in need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-mycoskie/with-toms-i-found-a-way-to-create-sustainable-giving-and-consistently/) [Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-mycoskie/) > [The next generation will remake the world in a way that allows us to live in a more sustainable way, both personally and globally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/the-next-generation-will-remake-the-world-in-a-way-that-allows-us-to/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Promoting the use of sustainable and renewable rainforest products can help to stop rainforest devastation. The rainforests are much more valuable alive than cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/promoting-the-use-of-sustainable-and-renewable-rainforest-products/) [Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/) > [Wind and solar power, energy efficient buildings, cars that go farther on a tank of gas, and other solutions can fight climate change. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-beinecke/wind-and-solar-power-energy-efficient-buildings-cars-that-go-farther/) [Frances Beinecke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-beinecke/) > [The challenge is either to build an economy that is sustainable or to stay with our unsustainable economy until it declines. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/the-challenge-is-either-to-build-an-economy-that-is-sustainable-or-to/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) ## More by Bill Gates > [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-really-had-a-lot-of-dreams-when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-think-a-great/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/paper-is-no-longer-a-big-part-of-my-day-i-get-90-of-my-news-online/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Students deserve great teachers. And teachers deserve the support they need to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/students-deserve-great-teachers-and-teachers-deserve-the-support-they/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. 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All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [At every juncture, advanced tools have been the key to a new wave of applications, and each wave of applications has been key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/at-every-juncture-advanced-tools-have-been-the-key-to-a-new-wave-of/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Software is more important than hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-is-more-important-than-hardware/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Talking to mothers, always brings it home because they're so anxious to do everything they can for their kids and so tragic for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/talking-to-mothers-always-brings-it-home-because-they-re-so-anxious/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) [Explore all 1,165 Bill Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) ## More Future quotes > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. 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Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-have-no-idea-now-of-who-or-what-the-inhabitants-of-our-future/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I'm just always looking forwards. I spend very little time, looking backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-m-just-always-looking-forwards-i-spend-very-little-time-looking/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [Football is my passion, and who knows where I will play in the future - you cannot foresee that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edinson-cavani/football-is-my-passion-and-who-knows-where-i-will-play-in-the-future/) [Edinson Cavani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edinson-cavani/) > [When I was 17, I broke up with my future wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-allen/when-i-was-17-i-broke-up-with-my-future-wife/) [Kris Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-allen/) > [I think everybody in the future has stopped talking to each other and we all just use emojis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/i-think-everybody-in-the-future-has-stopped-talking-to-each-other-and/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [When you continue to dwell on the past, there's no chance for a future. History repeats itself, thus, it's ok to LOOK back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-continue-to-dwell-on-the-past-there-s-no-chance-for-a-future/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am no different from a lot of people. I am concerned for the future of my children and concerned for the future of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/i-am-no-different-from-a-lot-of-people-i-am-concerned-for-the-future/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [Starting a new job can be nerve-racking , but it's also exciting. You're embarking on a new future, positioning yourself to write a fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adena-friedman/starting-a-new-job-can-be-nerve-racking-but-it-s-also-exciting-you-re/) [Adena Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adena-friedman/) [Browse all 12,349 Future quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We make the future sustainable when we invest in the poor, not when we insist on their suffering.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Gates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-invest-in-the-poor-not-when-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Future" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-invest-in-the-poor-not-when-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/bill-gates-137_future_we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-i_2642706.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/bill-gates-137_future_we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-i_2642706.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/bill-gates-137_future_we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-i_2642706.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We make the future sustainable when we invest in the poor, not when we insist on their suffering.” — Bill Gates", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill Gates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We make the future sustainable when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-invest-in-the-poor-not-when-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-make-the-future-sustainable-when-we-invest-in-the-poor-not-when-we/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```