Geoff Mulgan Quotes

Adelaide is becoming a hub for higher education.

All of nationalism can be understood as a kind of collective narcissism.

Societies advance through innovation every bit as much as economies do.

As the Internet of things advances, the very notion of a clear dividing line between reality and virtual reality becomes blurred, sometimes in creative ways.

The idea of entrepreneurship applies as much in politics, religion, society and the arts as it does in business.

The biggest barrier to dealing with climate change is us: our own attachment to habits that are hard to shift, and our great ability to park or ignore uncomfortable choices.

Britain is rich in radicalism, and anyone who says that our society has drifted into fatalism and apathy should get out more.

Bangalore has become a centre for healthcare.

The most important innovators often don't need any technologies - just imagination and acute sensitivity to people's needs.

One of the lessons of history is that even the deepest crises can be moments of opportunity. They bring ideas from the margins into the mainstream.

All innovation is about letting go, saying goodbye to things to create space for the new.

Governments that invest billions in new hardware still find it hard to accept that they might benefit just as much from systematic innovation in such things as child development or cutting crime.

Spreading an idea is hard work.

Democratic nation states remain far more capable of managing the circuit of coercion, taxation and legitimation than any transnational bodies.

Big business increasingly likes to portray itself as socially concerned, adopting the style of civic action through 'campaigns' of varying degrees of cynicism.

In Britain, polls show large majorities in favour of mansion taxes and higher taxes on the finance sector.

Economies are complex beasts that need people to do an extraordinary range of tasks.

There is incredible potential for digital technology in and beyond the classroom, but it is vital to rethink how learning is organised if we are to reap the rewards.

One effect of an individualistic culture that's poor at instilling mutual respect is that people jump more quickly to anger or violence.

Deeper fulfilment is rather different from the happiness of seeing a good film or watching your team win at football, and it doesn't come at the push of a button.

Democracy isn't solely about polite conversations in parliaments. It needs to be continually refreshed with raw passions, anger and ideals.

Huge sums are invested globally in medical research and development - and with good reason.

A tablet replacing an exercise book is not innovation, it's just a different way to make notes.

Young people who were relaxed about posting every detail of their life on Facebook become a lot less relaxed when they realise just how transparent their life has become to future employers.

Teenagers learn best by doing things, they learn best in teams and they learn best by doing things for real - all the opposite of what mainstream schooling actually does.

Lots of creativity is and should be solitary.

In every capitalist economy there are anti-capitalist movements, activists, and even political parties; in a way, that there are no longer anti-democratic movements, activists, and parties.

Computing should be taught as a rigorous - but fun - discipline covering topics like programming, database structures, and algorithms. That doesn't have to be boring.

Even many of the teenagers who feel confident on navigating the web simply don't have the skills needed to 'write and create' digital tools, not simply consume them.

The once-science-fiction notion of hyper-connectivity - where we are all constantly connected to social networks and other bubbling streams of digital data - has rapidly become a widespread reality.

I didn't much like being in Parliament physically. I found it a bit depressing. It's very dark and heavy. I like being out and about.

I can think of nothing worse than a think-tank where everybody agreed.

Learning isn't something you should only do solo.

A lot of people in government don't really read books at all.

A modest dose of self-love is entirely healthy - who would want to live in a world where everyone hated themselves? But taken too far it soon becomes poisonous.

All real capitalisms are impure hybrids, mongrels mixed with other strains.

As with products on supermarket shelves, the public has a right to know where their financial products and services come from.

Cities simply don't have the powers they need to radically innovate in cutting obesity or the number of disaffected teenagers.

Courses can, and should, incorporate the excitement and fun of programming games, apps or even real digital devices.

Health is already a dominant sector in most societies and the one most guaranteed to grow.

The longer you commute the less happy you're likely to be.

The most dynamic cities have always been immersed in the critical innovations of their time.

Everyone knows of great projects that were too dependent on a charismatic individual, or simply too expensive to be replicated.

Systems governed by only one set of rules are more vulnerable than those with variety.