Melinda French Gates picked up nuggets of wisdom and precious lessons from powerful friends throughout her decades of work in philanthropy.
The 60 -year -old billionaire is a passionate learner, and his new memories, “the next day: Transitions, Change and Forward”, has advice from friends, favorite authors and his parents sprinkled throughout.
As a leader in global health research and women’s rights, French doors are often considered for his own expertise. Sometimes she said, it is the experiences of others that guide her.
These are advice that she has kept with her over the years.
His mother
The parents of French Gates allowed him to look for a successful career from an early age. His father made him follow a business course at the age of 12 to find out about the definition of objectives.
His mother gave him advice that the French gates relayed in his book.
She said to him: “Define your own program or someone else,” wrote French Gates in the book. She took her mother’s declaration to heart and ran with it.
“It has become one of my mantras, especially once I entered global health,” she said in a live interview with Abby Phillip from CNN.
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Warren Buffett
“‘You work on the problems that the company has left for society, and they left them for a reason. They are hard, right? So don’t be so hard towards yourself’,” recalls French Gates that Buffett said in an interview.
The Berkshire Hathaway Boss is a longtime friend and a philanthropic ally of French Gates and his ex-husband Bill Gates. Buffett saw the couple through his Microsoft days and their divorce in 2021. He abandoned some knowledge over the years, according to French Gates.
Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King
In 2024, French Gates spoke with the duo of the best friend Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King to discuss aging and transitions in honor of his 60th anniversary. They connected to the stages of life and female friendship. Their conversation gave advice that inspired her enough to be included in “the next day”.
“Aging is only another word to live,” said King.
Winfrey has spoken in an inner voice or an intuition that could calmly tell you something you need to know. Listening to him and looking at the discomfort of the unknown, said French gates is a sign of growth.
“Catch it in the murmur,” said Winfrey. “What does it whisper you now?”
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