Ken Kay Quotes

Ken Kay delivers a forceful, argumentative look at leadership, policy and the economy, urging fresh solutions.

13 quotes

  1. 'In the same way that the Soviets' Sputnik satellite woke up the country to the need for math and science education, the outsourcing conversation cries out for a constructive, long-term solution that ensures Americans have world-class education, a world-class workforce and the ability to remain a competitive global leader.' (2004)

  2. Economists argue about the relative impact of immigrants versus robots on wage stagnation - voters don't care much. They blame immigrants. It's easier to get mad at a person from Macedonia or Mexico, taking your job than it is to get mad at a piece of technology from Silicon Valley.

  3. Globalisation, with inexorable speed, has changed the world we live in. For all of us. Jobs have changed, the way we trade has changed, who we employ has changed and the feel of where we live has changed.

  4. People are far too wrapped up in their own lives to care about what's happening to other people. Even if it is a moment's hot gossip, it's only that - a moment.

  5. In Rwanda, which has gone through a devastating civil war and has a per-capita income of $16 per year, half of members of Parliament are women. But in most countries, including the United States, theres a paucity of women in public office.

  6. If you choose not to act, you have little chance of success. What’s more, when you choose to act, you’re able to succeed more frequently than you think. How often in life do we avoid doing something because we think we’ll fail? Is failure really worse than doing nothing? And how often might we actually have triumphed if we had just decided to give it a try?

  7. Politicians live in mortal terror of ever saying they are sorry about anything, because that would suggest they have been wrong. It is often a trait of powerful people not to want to be seen to back down.

  8. I read the news every night to millions of people around the world. It doesnt test my confidence.

  9. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump appeal to the heart not the head, they offer simple solutions in a time of complex problems.

  10. But democracy needs structure to work, in the form of laws and policies.

  11. My best teacher was my mother. She was a diplomats wife living in the Arab world in the 70s and 80s who always worked, even in really tough circumstances.

  12. In normal circumstances, if you want a job done well, you chose someone with experience doing that job.

  13. In the scheme of life, being moved aside from a job, however much you love it, is a small thing.