Top quotes by Jimmy Wales

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. Votes: 16

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. Votes: 15

I'm a big advocate of freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of thought. Votes: 13

Mostly, I try to take a rational approach to life. Votes: 13

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. Votes: 12

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. Votes: 11

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. Votes: 11

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. Votes: 10

The mainland Chinese tend to take a Chinese mainland point of view on controversial issues, and the Taiwanese take another the Taiwanese viewpoint. Votes: 10

A huge amount of what goes on in the Middle East has to do with people being fed really bad information. Votes: 9

Free speech includes the right to not speak. Votes: 9

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. Votes: 8

If I had some information, the last thing I would ever do with it is send it to Wikileaks. Votes: 8

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. Votes: 7

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. Votes: 7

The core of Wikipedia is something people really believe in. That is too valuable for the world to screw it up. Votes: 7

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. Votes: 6

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. Votes: 5

I'm not real good at the administrative part of running a company. Votes: 5

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. Votes: 3

I think people have to recognise that the traditional modes of authority weren't that great. Votes: 3

What we won't do is pretend that the work of lunatic charlatans is the equivalent of "true scientific discourse." It isn't. Votes: 3

I have zero interest in sports of any kind - professional, college or international. Votes: 2

My being some kind of celebrity - not a real celebrity, isn't a welcome part of the job. Votes: 2

I think it's a mistake to treat different realms of knowledge as if they are some how fundamentally the same. Votes: 2

My original concept was to provide a free encyclopedia for every single person in the world. Votes: 2

Wikipedia is first and foremost an effort to create and distribute a free encyclopedia of the highest possible quality to every single person on the planet in their own language. Asking whether the community comes before or after this goal is really asking the wrong question: the entire purpose of the community is precisely this goal. Votes: 2

Freedom, liberty, individual rights, that idea of dealing with other people in a matter that is not initiating force against them, is critical to me. Votes: 2

Greatest misconception about We aren't democratic. Our readers edit the entries, but we're actually quite snobby. The core community appreciates when someone is knowledgeable, and thinks some people are idiots and shouldn't be writing. Votes: 2

A lot of people who work on open-source software don't mind making money elsewhere. They aren't anticommercial. Votes: 1

I think that argument is completely morally bankrupt, and I think people know that when they make it. There's a very big difference between having a sincere, passionate interest in a topic and being a paid shill ... Particularly for PR firms, it's something they should really very strongly avoid: ever touching an article. Votes: 0

There's a big tendency to gravitate toward a closed and proprietary approach too easily. Votes: 0

Freely licensed textbooks are the next big thing in education. Votes: 0

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. Votes: 0

I have my team focused on the front end, working on the user experience, and making sure we have all the wiki-like tools people need to work on the site. We're just cranking away. Votes: 0

The more time I spent on the site the more I came to think of Wales as some kind of Queen Ant, letting the vast colony go about its work, at the centre of a system where the knowledge of the community is infinitely larger than the sum of experience of all its individuals. Votes: 0

Frankly, and let me be blunt, Wikipedia as a readable product is not for us. It's for them. It's for that girl in Africa who can save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around her, but only if she's empowered with the knowledge to do so. Votes: 0

When you consider the magnitude of how many people use Wikipedia globally, there is a potential here for really creating some noise and getting some attention in the U.S. Votes: 0

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 Votes: 0

If you see a blatant error or misconception about yourself, you really want to set it straight. Votes: 0

Things work well when a group of people know each other, and things break down when it's a bunch of random people interacting. Votes: 0

People do fun and interesting things because they're fun and interesting. Votes: 0

I think that reality exists and that it's knowable. Votes: 0

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. Votes: 0

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. Votes: 0

I just get up every day and do what seems like the most interesting, fun thing to do. Votes: 0

If it isn't on Google, it doesn't exist. Votes: 0

Our growth rate continues to be staggering. Votes: 0

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. Votes: 0

Wikis and social networking are just tools. Votes: 0

Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. Wikis give us a place where anyone who is kind, thoughtful and intelligent can come and join us in building a better and more rational world. Votes: 0

The real struggle is not between the right and the left but between the party of the thoughtful and the party of the jerks. Votes: 0

I think MySpace is doomed, I give them about two more years.... I think Facebook is the next Microsoft in both the bad and the good senses. That's an amazing company that is going to do a lot of good and bad things. Votes: 0

Everybody tells jokes, but we still need comedians. Votes: 0

We are still in the very beggining of the Internet. Let's use it wisely. Votes: 0

When I was growing up in Huntsville, Alabama, this is where the space and rocket center was. This is where all of the German rocket scientists came after war and started designing rockets for NASA, for the moon landing and all that. Votes: 0

It just didn't occur to me, sitting at my computer, that I would end up travelling all over the world. Votes: 0

I'm on it pretty much all the time. I edit Wikipedia every day, I'm on Facebook, I'm on Twitter, I'm reading the news. During one of the US elections, I actually went through my computer and I blocked myself from looking at the major newspaper sites and Google News because I wasn't getting any work done. Votes: 0

I'm very much an Enlightenment kind of guy. Votes: 0

I worry about censorship in many parts of the world. Votes: 0

We don't need secrecy. Votes: 0

Most people are good. They may not be saints, but they are good. Votes: 0

There's plenty of rude stuff online. People say things online that they would be ashamed to say face to face. If people could treat others as though they were speaking face to face, that would be huge. Votes: 0

There's kind of this real social pressure to not argue about things. Votes: 0

Ideally, our rules should be formed in such a fashion that an ordinary helpful kind thoughtful person doesn't really even need to know the rules. You just get to work, do something fun, and nobody hassles you as long as you are being thoughtful and kind. Votes: 0

I frequently counsel people who are getting frustrated about an edit war to think about someone who lives without clean drinking water, without any proper means of education, and how our work might someday help that person. It puts flamewars into some perspective, I think. Votes: 0

We've always had a love/hate relationship with numbers. Votes: 0

I have said this many times in the past and will say it many times in the future I am sure: some people need to find a different hobby... Votes: 0

Wikipedia is a non-profit. It was either the dumbest thing I ever did or the smartest thing I ever did. Votes: 0

The Internet is allowing for us to really experience people in some of the most distant places in the world - as other people just like us. So get to know people, seek out bloggers from a country you're kind of curious about. It's about building empathy and breaking through to the point of recognizing people as people. Votes: 0

You shouldn't use anything as the sole source for anything, in my view. Votes: 0

What you don't get in the mainstream media is so much of the background material. Votes: 0

People who have achieved a public voice find it a mixed bag. Votes: 0

Given enough time humans will screw up Wikipedia just as they have screwed up everything else, but so far it's not too bad. Votes: 0

I don't really agree that most academics frown when they hear Wikipedia. Most academics I find quite passionate about the concept of Wikipedia and like it quite a bit. [...] The number of academics who really really don't like Wikipedia is really quite small and we find that they get reported on in the media far out of proportion to the amount they actually exist. Votes: 0

Wikipedia is the #5 site on the Web and serves 450 million different people every month - with billions of page views. Votes: 0

When I opened Wikipedia, it had three articles, yet it was called an encyclopedia. Votes: 0

Most people assume the fights are going to be the left versus the right, but it always is the reasonable versus the jerks. Votes: 0

Wikipedia is a non-profit. It was either the dumbest thing I ever did or the smartest thing I ever did. Communities can build amazing things, but you have to be part of that community and you can't abuse them. You have to be very respectful of what their needs are. Votes: 0

Dialing down is not an option for me. Votes: 0

I don't worry. It's just not in my nature, really. Votes: 0

I don't come down on any simple place as a deletionist or a completionist. Votes: 0

I can't do anything quietly anymore. Votes: 0

I am really accessible. Votes: 0

To me the key thing is getting it right. And if a person's really smart and they're doing fantastic work, I don't care if they're a high school kid or a Harvard professor; it's the work that matters. Votes: 0

It has become more important than ever that we teach students how to do research, and how to evaluate different sources of information. (Jimmy Wales, IB World, 68, Sept. 2013, p.10. ) Votes: 0

I have no regular schedule. I get up whenever I can. Votes: 0

Myspace hurts my eyes. Votes: 0

We are growing from a cheerful small town where everyone waves off their front porch to the subway of New York City where everyone rushes by. How do you preserve the culture that has worked so well? Votes: 0

In general, the best advice I can give people is to take criticism seriously, apologize for anything you have done wrong, and pull back from conflict. Of course, if you are right on a content matter, you should press forward in the interest of quality, but conflict often has a way of taking on a life of its own, unfortunately. Votes: 0

Simply having rules does not change the things that people want to do. You have to change incentives. Votes: 0

It turns out a lot of people don't get it. Wikipedia is like rock'n'roll; it's a cultural shift. Votes: 0

We are Wikipedians. This means that we should be: kind, thoughtful, passionate about getting it right, open, tolerant of different viewpoints, open to criticism, bold about changing our policies and also cautious about changing our policies. We are not vindictive, childish, and we don't stoop to the level of our worst critics, no matter how much we may find them to be annoying. Votes: 0

It's kind of surprising that you could just open up a site and let people work. Votes: 0

Massive numbers of people are going to come online from cultures we don't normally interact with. Votes: 0

EssJay was appointed at the request of and unanimous support of the ArbCom. Votes: 0

We have to come together, worldwide, and 'think.' We have a tool - the internet - to let us do that. Let's use it wisely. Votes: 0

IAR is policy, always has been. Votes: 0

You know, when I think about what I'm doing, what I'm doing and the way I'm doing it is more important to me than any amount of money or anything like that because it's my artistic work. Votes: 0

We don't stoop to the level of our worst critics, no matter how much we may find them to be annoying. Votes: 0

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. Votes: 0

I'm a very friendly person, and I think that's had a big impact on my work because I tend to be pretty good with not trying to always win every argument and things like that. I just sort of try to bring a lot of people together to talk. Votes: 0

I spent lots of time reading the encyclopedia and really kind of an eclectic approach to learning things - not very structured. Votes: 0