Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has revealed his daily source of inspiration – a quote stuck onto the front of his fridge.
The self-made billionaire is well-known for instilling inspiration in his employees but many of them working for Amazon and the Washington Post have been vocal in their unhappiness recently at their working condition.
Nonetheless, Bezos tweeted a photo of a printed out poem, captioning it, ‘Love this quote. It’s been on my fridge for years, and I see it every time I open the door. #Emerson.’
The quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson reads: ‘To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.’
Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon is the richest man in the world with his company worth $777 billion and a personal fortune of more than $132 billion.
Jeff Bezos recently tweeted a quote which has been put up on his fridge for a long time
Bezos is mainly known as the founder and CEO of Amazon making him the world’s richest man
The quote allows a glimpse into the values Bezos holds dear beyond the lure of financial success.
The tweet of the inspirational poem has been re-tweeted 11,000 times and received 33,000 likes.
Some of Bezos’ followers pointed out that they, too, are inspired by the quote.
‘A longtime favorite of mine as well,’ one Twitter user wrote, while another wrote, ‘Been on the wall of my office for years Mr. B. If we all strived to live like this, the world would be a better place.’
But others also took the opportunity to call out the CEO for paying Amazon employees low wages. ‘Maybe try reading it the next time you see it? Especially that redeemed social condition part,’ one Twitter user wrote. ‘Pay your workers enough so they don’t need food stamps.’
The motivational quote is written by US writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson
The poem suggests to people that they should do what they love, while still making a positive impact on the world, which are also common threads throughout the poem.
In Bezos case, it is space that that appears to be one of his passions.
As the founder of the space company Blue Origin, on which he’s said he spends a billion dollars a year of his own money, he recently described his efforts as some of the most important work he’s doing.
‘You don’t choose your passions, your passions choose you,’ Bezos said of his commitment to space exploration. ‘All of us are gifted with certain passions, and the people who are lucky are the ones who get to follow those things.’
‘If I’m 80 years old, looking back on my life and the one thing I have done is make it so that there is this gigantic entrepreneurial explosion in space for the next generation,’ Bezos said, ‘I will be a happy, happy man.’
His love of the quote also reflects Bezos love of books. Amazon started as an online book retailer.
Aside from the inspirational words, Bezos has also shared advice on how to successful and according to CNBC is well known for his inspirational, annual shareholder letters, which are often considered a must-read by business professionals.
More than 400 Washington Post employees signed a petition asking owner Jeff Bezos to remedy working conditions at the newspaper
President Trump urged Washington Post employees to go on strike
President Donald Trump is on the attack against Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos yet again. The two men are pictured here with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at an American Technology Council roundtable at the White House in June 2017.
However Bezos isn’t favorite of President Donald Trump who slammed Amazon chief and advised Washington Post staff to go on strike.
Bezos has been a repeated targeted of the president’s wrath as has the Post, which has published multiple stories critical of Trump that he has dismissed as ‘fake news.’
‘Washington Post employees want to go on strike because Bezos isn’t paying them enough,’ Trump wrote Sunday morning. ‘I think a really long strike would be a great idea. Employees would get more money and we would get rid of Fake News for an extended period of time! Is @WaPo a registered lobbyist?’
A newspaper strike would benefit Trump as Washington Post reporters would not be writing stories about him and his administration at that time. Such a move by newspaper employees would likely hurt Bezos’ bottom line.
Trump’s tweet comes after more than 400 employees of The Post signed on to a public letter to Bezos asking him to remedy working conditions at the newspaper, after more than a year of unsuccessful negotiation with upper management.
‘All we are asking for is fairness for each and every employee who contributed to this company’s success: fair wages; fair benefits for retirement, family leave and health care; and a fair amount of job security,’ the petition read.
Trump has made Bezos a favorite twitter target, claiming the Amazon founder has cost the U.S. Postal Service a fortune – despite the USPS saying companies like Amazon have boosted their services – and reportedly asked the Postmaster General to drive up the delivery prices the giant online retailer pays to ship its package.