Ruth Porat Quotes

“Businesses perform better when you have diversity of view in your senior leadership positions. This is not just the right thing to do socially; it's the right thing to do for your business.”

“The most valuable thing you can have as a leader is clear data.”

“If you continue to plow ahead in something that is OK, you will miss the opportunity to do something that is great.”

“I hate the term 'work-life balance.' I think it's a setup, and it's a trap for all of us.”

“One of the biggest problems women have is they work really hard and put their heads down and assume hard work gets noticed. And hard work for the wrong boss does not get noticed.”

“The wealth disparity between the lowest and the highest continues to expand, and that's inappropriate.”

“When I started, there were very few women at the managing director level and very few who had families, which is something that was important to me.”

“If the door is nailed shut, and you're 'Leaning In,' you're just going to get bruised and battered.”

“Liquidity is oxygen for a financial system.”

“I have seen too many people in my career think that there is some natural progression to life, with certain career milestones preceding whatever you may want in your personal life.”

“Since 1987, there are now many more of us at the higher levels with families, so I think, as role models, we are encouraging more women to stay within banking and rise up through the ranks.”

“One of the biggest problems women have is they work really hard and put their heads down and assume hard work gets noticed.”

“When I started, there were very few women at the managing director level and very few who had families.”

“I have seen too many people in my career think that there is some natural progression to life.”

“Since 1987, there are now many more of us at the higher levels with families.”

“It's been invigorating being back on the West Coast, being at Alphabet, because there is so much innovation.”

“Identify vulnerability and protect against it in the good days.”

“The most important lesson was you need to identify your source of vulnerability and protect against it early. You have to have the will and the means. All too often, when you have the will you no longer have the means.”

“Incrementalism in technology leads to irrelevance.”

“Whether it is starting a business or starting a family, don't put it off. The worst that will happen is that it will not work out.”

“Anchor everything in data, and great decisions will follow.”

“For me, going to work meant that I was in control of my life. The disease did not define me. And so in many respects work was a really important part of me being healthy.”

“The people on this call know that if technological advancement is not the focus of every business and government, they will be left behind.”

“A star is someone who is in my face, because I want them to challenge me in different ways.”