Jimmy Wales Quotes

Powerful Jimmy Wales for Daily Growth

About Jimmy Wales

Jimmy Wales (born August 7, 1966) is an American entrepreneur, internet activist, and Wikipedia co-founder, who has significantly impacted the global dissemination of knowledge. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, Wales developed a love for computers at a young age, teaching himself to program by the age of twelve. He graduated from Auburn University with a degree in finance but soon found his true passion in the digital world. Wales started his professional career working as an equity researcher on Wall Street. However, his interest in technology and internet-based communities led him to co-found Bomis, Inc., an internet company that provided content for various websites, in 1996. The project evolved into the creation of Nupedia, a free online encyclopedia, where Wales envisioned a collaborative platform for knowledge sharing. Inspired by the potential of open-source collaboration, Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia on January 15, 2001. Unlike its predecessor, Wikipedia embraced the principles of free access to information, open editable content, and collaborative writing by users worldwide. This groundbreaking platform has grown into the largest online encyclopedia, with millions of articles in multiple languages. Throughout his career, Wales has been a staunch advocate for internet freedom and the power of open-source collaboration. He was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2015. Wales continues to serve as a board member of the Wikimedia Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting Wikipedia's global mission of providing free knowledge to all. As a beacon of digital activism and open-source innovation, Jimmy Wales stands as a testament to the transformative power of the internet in shaping our modern world.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge."

The quote by Jimmy Wales envisions an equitable world where everyone, regardless of geographical location or economic status, has unhindered access to all accumulated human knowledge. This global, universal education could empower individuals, foster innovation, promote collaboration, break down barriers, and ultimately, lead to a more informed, inclusive, and progressive society.

"The internet and Wikimedia projects are not political tools; they're a tool for everyone."

Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, emphasizes that the internet and Wikimedia projects, as neutral platforms, are not intended to serve any particular political agenda. Instead, they function as a universal resource accessible to all individuals irrespective of their political beliefs or affiliations. This statement underscores the principle of inclusivity, equity, and open access in the digital age.

"Don't just think about it, start doing something."

Jimmy Wales' quote encourages active engagement and initiative. It suggests that instead of merely pondering or contemplating an idea or problem, one should take actionable steps to make a difference. This quote is a call-to-action for anyone who wants to bring about change in their lives or the world around them. It emphasizes that thoughts without actions are insufficient; true progress comes from putting ideas into practice.

"I believe in being honest, and I believe in information being free."

This quote signifies Jimmy Wales' firm commitment to truthfulness and the freedom of information. He values transparency and believes that knowledge should be accessible to all without barriers or restrictions, fostering an informed society.

"The important thing is that we have an enormous amount of people participating actively."

This quote highlights the significance of active participation in a community or project, as emphasized by Jimmy Wales. He suggests that an 'enormous amount' of active participants, rather than a few, contributes to a strong and vibrant entity. This notion is applicable across various domains, from online platforms like Wikipedia (which he co-founded) to real-life communities, businesses, or social movements. Active participation promotes collaboration, diversity of ideas, and faster problem-solving, ultimately leading to the creation of a more robust and resilient entity that can achieve its goals more effectively.

People take issue with individual aspects of Wikipedia all the time. But it's kind of hard to hate the general idea of a free encyclopedia. It's like hating kittens.

- Jimmy Wales

Individual, Like, Issue, Hating

I have always liked the idea of going to print because a big part of what we are about is to disseminate knowledge throughout the world and not just to people who have broadband.

- Jimmy Wales

Big, Always, Big Part, Disseminate

I have always viewed the mission of Wikipedia to be much bigger than just creating a killer website. We're doing that of course, and having a lot of fun doing it, but a big part of what motivates us is our larger mission to affect the world in a positive way.

- Jimmy Wales

Big, Larger, Big Part, Positive Way

The core of Wikipedia is something people really believe in. That is too valuable for the world to screw it up.

- Jimmy Wales

Core, Something People, Too, Screw

The goal is to give people a free encyclopedia to every person in the world, in their own language. Not just in a 'free beer' kind of way, but also in the free speech kind of way.

- Jimmy Wales

Goal, Free Speech, Give, Encyclopedia

My original concept was to provide a free encyclopedia for every single person in the world.

- Jimmy Wales

World, Single, Original, Encyclopedia

To create and distribute a free encyclopedia of the highest possible quality to every single person on the planet in their own language - That's who I am. That's what I am doing. That's my life goal.

- Jimmy Wales

My Life, Doing, Own, Encyclopedia

What can we put into the hands of people under oppressive regimes to help them? For me, a big part of it is information, knowledge - the ability to defeat propaganda by understanding it.

- Jimmy Wales

Big, Oppressive, Big Part, Regimes

We have to come together, worldwide, and 'think.' We have a tool - the internet - to let us do that. Let's use it wisely.

- Jimmy Wales

Think, Let Us, Use, Wisely

There's a big tendency to gravitate toward a closed and proprietary approach too easily.

- Jimmy Wales

Big, Toward, Gravitate, Proprietary

One of the ways that Microsoft beat Apple way back in the day was that they were a lot more open; today, in the world I come from, the free software and open-source world, Microsoft is not generally viewed as open; they're viewed as proprietary.

- Jimmy Wales

Software, Back, Microsoft, Proprietary

We've seen how grassroots journalism by blogs has had an impact at various points politically, as ordinary people have amplified stories that were being ignored by the traditional press.

- Jimmy Wales

Ignored, Stories, Blogs, Journalism

Massive numbers of people are going to come online from cultures we don't normally interact with.

- Jimmy Wales

Cultures, Going, Massive, Normally

The Supreme Court has held that code is speech. And it doesn't matter that it's done on a computer or done face to face or done in a newspaper, reporting the facts of the world is protected speech.

- Jimmy Wales

Newspaper, Code, Held, Reporting

Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing.

- Jimmy Wales

Doing, Which, Given, Human Knowledge

The mainland Chinese tend to take a Chinese mainland point of view on controversial issues, and the Taiwanese take another the Taiwanese viewpoint.

- Jimmy Wales

Chinese, Tend, Take, Controversial

I have zero interest in sports of any kind - professional, college or international.

- Jimmy Wales

Sports, College, Zero, International

People are not fundamentally bad. It only takes the smallest of correctives to take care of that tiny minority that wants to disrupt the community.

- Jimmy Wales

Bad, Minority, Smallest, Disrupt

Almost anything is better than three network TV outlets completely controlling the national discourse with their nightly broadcasts. We've moved a long way from that, and that's important.

- Jimmy Wales

TV, Almost, Moved, Almost Anything

It just didn't occur to me, sitting at my computer, that I would end up travelling all over the world.

- Jimmy Wales

Over, Travelling, Occur, Sitting

I have no regular schedule. I get up whenever I can.

- Jimmy Wales

Schedule, Get, Whenever, Regular

If I had some information, the last thing I would ever do with it is send it to Wikileaks.

- Jimmy Wales

Some, Ever, Wikileaks, Send

Our growth rate continues to be staggering.

- Jimmy Wales

Growth, Growth Rate, Rate, Staggering

Mostly, I try to take a rational approach to life.

- Jimmy Wales

Try, Take, Mostly, Rational

While I'm optimistic about the direction the world is headed, generally, I think there is a need for constant vigilance and pressure on repressive governments.

- Jimmy Wales

Think, Constant, I Think, Vigilance

Love. It isn't very popular in technical circles to say a lot of mushy stuff about love, but frankly it's a very very important part of what holds our project together.

- Jimmy Wales

Love, Very, Technical, Popular

I just get up every day and do what seems like the most interesting, fun thing to do.

- Jimmy Wales

Every Day, Like, Fun Thing, Fun

Dialing down is not an option for me.

- Jimmy Wales

Me, Down, Option

What you don't get in the mainstream media is so much of the background material.

- Jimmy Wales

Get, Background, Material, Mainstream Media

I worry about censorship in many parts of the world.

- Jimmy Wales

Worry, World, About, Censorship

If you see a blatant error or misconception about yourself, you really want to set it straight.

- Jimmy Wales

See, Straight, Blatant, Error

We are still in the very beginnings of the Internet.

- Jimmy Wales

Internet, Very, Still, Beginnings

My being some kind of celebrity - not a real celebrity, isn't a welcome part of the job.

- Jimmy Wales

Celebrity, Kind, Some, Welcome

People do fun and interesting things because they're fun and interesting.

- Jimmy Wales

Interesting, Because, Things, Interesting Things

I'm a big advocate of freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of thought.

- Jimmy Wales

Freedom, Big, Expression, Advocate

I think that reality exists and that it's knowable.

- Jimmy Wales

Reality, Think, I Think, Exists

A lot of people who work on open-source software don't mind making money elsewhere. They aren't anticommercial.

- Jimmy Wales

Mind, Software, Making, Making Money

I still believe there is a need to open up search and it will come eventually. It is very important to challenge the current models.

- Jimmy Wales

Very, Still, Models, Current

It's kind of surprising that you could just open up a site and let people work.

- Jimmy Wales

Kind, Could, Site, Surprising

I tend to eat things in fours. I'll eat four nuts, four grapes, four chips at a time. I don't know why. It's not really a superstition. I don't think anything bad will happen if I don't, but three potato chips doesn't seem right.

- Jimmy Wales

Bad, Why, Chips, Four

My view is that good community management is like having good municipal government: You should be able to have dissenting opinions and so on, freedom of speech, but your grandmother should also be able to walk down the street at night without having to worry about getting mugged.

- Jimmy Wales

About, Your, Mugged, Municipal

I think people have to recognise that the traditional modes of authority weren't that great.

- Jimmy Wales

Think, I Think, Traditional, Recognise

We don't need secrecy.

- Jimmy Wales

Need, Secrecy

I think it's a mistake to treat different realms of knowledge as if they are some how fundamentally the same.

- Jimmy Wales

Mistake, Think, Some, Fundamentally

Things work well when a group of people know each other, and things break down when it's a bunch of random people interacting.

- Jimmy Wales

Work, Other, Break, Interacting

I can't do anything quietly anymore.

- Jimmy Wales

Anything, Anymore, Quietly

People who have achieved a public voice find it a mixed bag.

- Jimmy Wales

Voice, Find, Public, Mixed

If it isn't on Google, it doesn't exist.

- Jimmy Wales

Exist, Google

There's kind of this real social pressure to not argue about things.

- Jimmy Wales

Kind, Social, About, Argue

Free speech includes the right to not speak.

- Jimmy Wales

Speak, Free Speech, Right, Speech

A huge amount of what goes on in the Middle East has to do with people being fed really bad information.

- Jimmy Wales

Middle, Amount, Fed, Middle East

Wikis and social networking are just tools.

- Jimmy Wales

Tools, Just, Social, Networking

I am really accessible.

- Jimmy Wales

I Am, Am, Really, Accessible

You shouldn't use anything as the sole source for anything, in my view.

- Jimmy Wales

View, Use, Sole, Source

I'm very much an Enlightenment kind of guy.

- Jimmy Wales

Kind, Guy, Very, Enlightenment

I'm not real good at the administrative part of running a company.

- Jimmy Wales

Company, Running, Part, Administrative

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