Ross Overline

“I’ve been arguing that the capitalist system as we know it is harmful without a new sector—the social business sector—that is dedicated to solving the problems we are piling up around us. It is driven by a largely overlooked factor in human behavior: the drive to solve human problems unselfishly for the simple joy and pride that it brings.”
― Muhammad Yunus, A World of Three Zeros: The New Economics of Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions

“The profound obligation to convince those with the wherewithal to give more of themselves to institutions and causes larger than themselves falls to you and your professional and lay colleagues. That is not a burden. It is a pleasure. That is not a job. It is a calling.”
― Reynold Levy, Yours for the Asking: An Indispensable Guide to Fundraising and Management

“It is little short of amazing how long ago these prescient warnings were issued. Justice Stone warned us in 1934. John Maynard Keynes warned us in 1936. Benjamin Graham warned us in 1958. Isn’t it high time we stand on the shoulders of these intellectual giants and shape national policy away from the moral relativism of peer conduct and greed and short-term speculation—gambling on expectations about stock prices? Isn’t it high time to return to the moral absolutism of fiduciary duty, to return to our traditional ethic of long-term investment focused on building the intrinsic value of our corporations—prudence, due diligence and active participation in corporate governance?”
― John G. Taft, A Force for Good: How Enlightened Finance Can Restore Faith in Capitalism

“To illustrate the important differences between rules and principles, how do you react to the following statement? Thou shall not kill. If you are like most people, your mind is probably thinking of a number of exceptions: What about in the time of war, or in self-defense? What if, on the other hand, I said, Love one another. Now where does your mind go? You’re caught, aren’t you? There is no exception to be found. Thou shall not kill is a rule; Love one another is a principle. A rule merely requires compliance, whereas a principle requires discernment, the ability to judge wisely and objectively. If you want to define a higher standard of care based on trust, you must do so with principles, not rules.”
― John G. Taft, A Force for Good: How Enlightened Finance Can Restore Faith in Capitalism