Bill Gates has held the title of "richest person on the planet" for the longest time. To achieve his current success, Bill Gates says he followed three pieces of advice from his mother.
Three invaluable pieces of advice Bill Gates received from his mother.
Bill Gates pictured with his mother, Mary Maxwell Gates, who has given him much valuable advice (Photo: GatesNotes).
According to Bill Gates, his mother first encouraged him to read a lot of books.
"There's a vast world beyond the school textbooks. Get acquainted with it, read more. Explore new topics that others don't usually care about," Bill Gates shared about his mother's first piece of advice.
Bill Gates' mother's second piece of advice was to encourage him to always explore new things and do something surprising that was different from the crowd.
"Your life will always be shaped by your own perspective. So always explore new things. Don't follow the crowd, never think as small as them, think outside the box, think so big that it seems impossible to you," Bill Gates shared about the second piece of advice his mother gave him.
Bill Gates is an active philanthropist, and this stems from his mother's advice (Photo: Getty).
Bill Gates' mother's third piece of advice was to do things that no one else would do. Bill Gates says this advice has led him to give back and do more charity work.
“Do things in life that no one else does. Most people build their careers on established paths, avoiding risks. You should take a different path, do things differently. Create your own path and inspire others to dream,” Bill Gates further shared about his mother's third piece of advice.
How Bill Gates left his fortune to his children.
Bill Gates said he is also passing on this advice to his children.
Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French have three children together: Jennifer Katharine Gates (born in 1996, the eldest child, currently a doctor), Rory John Gates (born in 1999, the only son, a graduate of the University of Chicago), and Phoebe Adele Gates (born in 2002, the youngest child, a graduate of Stanford University).
Bill Gates has three children with his ex-wife, and he will "only" leave $10 million to each of them (Photo: People).
Bill Gates is currently the 17th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $106 billion. However, he says that advice from his mother has profoundly influenced how he spends his wealth and raises his children.
The Microsoft founder plans to leave each of his children only $10 million, instead of inheriting the majority of his fortune. According to Bill Gates, what's more important than money is a good education , enabling his children to start and build their own careers.
He believed the amount of money he left behind was enough to ensure his children wouldn't fall into poverty, but not so large as to distort their motivation to strive for success.
"Giving children a huge fortune isn't good for them. It distorts what they're capable of doing to forge their own path," Bill Gates shared. "My children will enjoy a great education and financial security to ensure they never go poor, but they still have to go out and build their own careers."
Who was the mother who had a profound influence on Bill Gates' life?
Bill Gates' mother was Mary Maxwell Gates, born on July 5, 1929, and passed away on June 10, 1994. She was a renowned businesswoman, community activist, and philanthropist in the United States.
Mary Maxwell was a high school math teacher before becoming deeply involved in social activism. In 1983, she became the first woman to lead the Executive Committee of United Way of America, the largest charity in the United States.
Mary Maxwell Gates not only influenced Bill Gates' life but also played a crucial role in Microsoft's success (Photo: Margaret Holland Sargent).
During her time leading United Way of America, Mary Maxwell built relationships that greatly assisted Bill Gates in the early days of Microsoft.
It was she who introduced Microsoft to John Opel, the chairman of IBM, leading to a crucial partnership that enabled Microsoft to supply operating systems for IBM's personal computers, contributing to Microsoft's success today.
Mary Maxwell passed away at the age of 64 from breast cancer.