I don't see myself as a great discoverer of artists, like Charles Saatchi.
— Eli Broad
I never play golf because it takes too long, and the business connections it produces can be made just as easily over an early breakfast.
Unfortunately, the boards of art institutions tend to be populated with well-meaning supporters of the arts who often lack any business background or appetite for imposing appropriate discipline.
Every artist is unreasonable, because he or she is doing something that hasn't been done before.
Without a doubt, stem cell research will lead to the dramatic improvement in the human condition and will benefit millions of people.
I believe in the democratization of the arts. What do I mean by that? I think museums, with some exceptions, have a responsibility to educate a much broader public.
The unions no longer control the education agenda of the Democratic Party.
Artists rarely do the same thing over and over again. Art is about the new, doing things in a new way.
I believe in two things: One, Andrew Carnegie said, 'He who dies with wealth dies in shame.' And someone once said, 'He who gives while he lives also knows where it goes.'
I'm naturally curious, and I read four newspapers a day.
You can have great teachers, but if you don't have a good principal, you won't have a good school.
My family and I have been blessed with good fortune in the world of business. We've created quite a net worth. My children, two boys, have more money than they will ever need, and they aren't empire builders.
I'd rather be respected than loved.
I've got a big ego, I admit it; I'm ego-driven.
You always learn lessons in business.
Frankly, I'm not sure how far I would get if I attended public school today. It's not just that public schools aren't producing the results we want - it's that we're not giving them what they need to help students achieve at high levels. K-12 education in the United States is deeply antiquated.
A real collector does not sell.
A lot of executives act like their time is worth more than anyone else's. But I always respect an employee who guards his or her time, even from me.
Time is the most valuable thing you have - and I'm not just talking about the minutes for which you're paid.
People think it's strange how briskly I move through museums. Sure, I could stand in front of each piece and stare at it for a good long time. But that's not me.
In high school, I would drive my teachers batty. They would make a statement, and I would say, 'Why is that?' They didn't want to be questioned.
Teach For America provides one of the most critical pipelines for bringing new talent into public education.
Museums do not share their collections with other museums unless they get something in exchange. The Metropolitan will deal with the Louvre, but will they send their stuff to Memphis? No.
Managers are responsible for setting workplace policies under which teachers can succeed. Managers are responsible for negotiating contracts that create the conditions under which teachers can succeed.
What artists think about the world is often different from how we businessmen see it, and I find that an enriching experience.
Someone once told me I'm a sore winner, and they're right. I rarely take more than a moment to enjoy a success before I'm moving on and looking for the next challenge.
To me, unconventional thinking is approaching a problem and asking, 'Why not? Why can't something be done?' If someone can't give me a good reason why you can't do something, I find a way to do it.
School boards are, for the most part,made up of political wannabes who see a board seat as a stepping stone for political office, or well-meaning parents who represent an ethnic group or geography, or have some other narrow interests. Few people on them understand what governance is about.
Art evokes emotion. It doesn't have to be a thing of beauty.
I believe that a newspaper is a great civic asset and that ownership is best in the hands of foundations or wealthy families that want to own it for reasons other than maximizing profits. I also believe newspapers should remain in local hands.
The happiest people I've found are in science. These people have three times the IQ - maybe I'm exaggerating. They have a higher IQ than I do. They love what they're doing, they have a good family life, they're satisfied.
School district policies and practices have not kept pace with student and teacher needs.
I am old enough to remember when America's K-12 public schools were the best in the world. I am a proud graduate of them, and I credit much of my success to what I learned in Detroit Public Schools and at Michigan State University.
I don't think it makes any sense for an individual to invest in common stocks unless they know the company, work at the company, and so on.
The inability to delegate is one of the biggest problems I see with managers at all levels.
The best move you can make in negotiation is to think of an incentive the other person hasn't even thought of - and then meet it.
Collecting is more than just buying objects.
People would rather have art or gold instead of paper money.
I think the opera is one of the great cultural jewels of Los Angeles.
If you have poor management that's not doing the right job, you end up with unions filling the void and... page after page of work rules and thicker and thicker contracts.
I can't think of another enterprise other than being a homeowner that can't have its debt restructured in bankruptcy. Corporations can but a homeowner can't? Now with securitization the homeowner can't go to the owner of the loan and work things out.
Civilizations are not remembered by their business people, their bankers or lawyers. They're remembered by the arts.
For businesses to be successful, they need to constantly ask the question: 'How can we provide value to our customers?' At the end of the day, that is what matters.
I never stay anywhere - parties, museums, meetings - longer than three hours.
Being a Midwesterner, I know that many of the middle-class manufacturing jobs that had been at the heart of our economy are either gone or going, and they're not coming back.
Anything I do, I spend a lot of time. I do it with passion and intensity. I want to be in charge.
In America, what you've accomplished financially is a measurement, whether you like it or not.
I could live anywhere in the world I want. But Los Angeles is the place to live.
How absurd that our students tuck their cell phones, BlackBerrys, iPads, and iPods into their backpacks when they enter a classroom and pull out a tattered textbook.
There were periods when the art market got overheated, but there is no reason it should appreciate dramatically.
