"I personally think that society is responsible for a very significant percentage of what I've earned."
— Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, 2nd wealthiest person in the world
"My wealth is not only a product of my own hard work. It also resulted from a strong economy and lots of public investment, both in others and in me. I received a good public school education and used free libraries and museums paid for by others. I went to college under the GI Bill. I went to graduate school to study computers and language on a complete government scholarship... While teaching at Syracuse University for 25 years, my research was supported by numerous government grants... My university research provided the basis for Syracuse Language Systems..."
— Martin Rothenberg, founder of Syracuse Language Systems and Glottal Enterprises
"Lots of people who are smart and work hard and play by the rules don't have a fraction of what I have. I realize I don't have my wealth because I'm so brilliant. Luck has a lot to do with it."
— Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, Inc.
This is a fantastic report. Let's debate the facts, not the mythologies.
http://www.responsiblewealth.org/press/2004/notalonereportfinal.pdf