Business Quote by Joshua Wong
“For generations of Hong Kongers, the only means of upward mobility and the only way to meaningfully contribute to society have been to obtain a respectable university degree (preferably in business administration) and a professional accreditation (in finance, accounting, law or medicine).”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Pro-Democracy Rally, Hong Kong, 2019
Societal pressure pushes Hong Kong youth toward elite degrees and professional credentials as the sole path to success and contribution.
In simple terms: Hong Kong values degrees and jobs for success.
Key Takeaway
Broaden definitions of success beyond credentials.
Themes
education
social pressure
career
class mobility
culture
Mood
anxious
reflective
Type
sociopolitical
critical
When to use this quote
- college applications
- career planning
- parental expectations
- policy debates
Key Concepts
meritocracy
social stratification
credentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- What alternative routes to contribution exist?
- How does this pressure affect mental health?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on credentials can stifle creativity and exclude non‑traditional paths.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)
