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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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?

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.

Everybody tells jokes, but we still need comedians.

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

Be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it.

The money matters. And secret money is corrupting, secret money is dangerous, secret money leads to scandal.

I don't think that there's much that sets me apart from other musicians, but I think there are definitely things that set me apart from other kinds of artists.

Death is not evil, for it frees man from all ills and takes away his desires along with desire's rewards.

Grand business plans are all very well, but nothing beats dipping your toe in the water.

Voodoo doll belong in the house of voodoo.

In general, talking about human rights tends to be very persuasive for people who care about human rights.

You don't climb a mountain in leaps and bounds, but by taking it slowly.

Not since Jimmy Carr have I seen a cold computer programme on stage generate so much laughter.

I've been known to throw watermelons, backstage, at people who are giving me news I don't want to hear. But I never aim for the head.