You're not thinking about things that are impossible for you to achieve yourself. You're thinking about a whole lot of qualities of character. The truth is that every one of those qualities is obtainable. They are largely a matter of habit. Bill Gates, founder and chairman of Microsoft Corp., may seem more difficult to emulate than Buffett, and considering Microsoft's current trouble with the U.S. Justice Department, some may not want to follow in his footsteps.
Gates does offer some important words of wisdom, especially to young people.
That's because of the huge disparities in average wages from country to country. In the coming century, individuals will use technology to rise above the general level of their countrymen, says Gates. One of the characteristics of an educated person will be computer literacy. Oprah Winfrey, the dazzling and continually transformed talk show host, agrees with Gates. She devotes much of her wealth and energy to helping young black Americans go to school.