David Rockefeller quotes

David Rockefeller was an American banker and philanthropist, known as a prominent member of the Rockefeller family. His leadership at Chase Manhattan Bank and involvement in global affairs shaped modern banking and international relations. He dedicated much of his life to charitable causes and fostering international cooperation. Here are 52 of his quotes:

I am convinced that material things can contribute a lot to making one's life pleasant, but, basically, if you do not have very good friends and relatives who matter to you, life will be really empty and sad and material things cease to be important.

David Rockefeller

Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you're not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.

David Rockefeller

Father was the eldest son and the heir apparent, and he set the standard for being a Rockefeller very high, so every achievement was taken for granted and perfection was the norm.

David Rockefeller

Money can add very much to one's ability to lead a constructive life, not only pleasant for oneself, but, hopefully, beneficial to others.

David Rockefeller

I think that the best hope for peace and prosperity in the world is greater cooperation among nations, which in turn will be produced if both our governments and the people of our countries travel more and get to know each other better.

David Rockefeller

Philanthropy is involved with basic innovations that transform society, not simply maintaining the status quo or filling basic social needs that were formerly the province of the public sector.

David Rockefeller

Courting Peggy McGrath provided me with a very pleasant diversion and eventually with the most important relationship of my life.

David Rockefeller

We are grateful to The Washington Post, The New York Times, Time magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. ... It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subject to the bright lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is now much more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries.

David Rockefeller

I think that that has to be related to the problems within our own country. I was reading in the papers today that there's a grave concern about what our role should be, how it should be handled, and how we should better manage our own domestic economy. And I think that this is becoming a serious issue. And it's gonna have to be addressed by any politicians who wish to be re-elected. They have to see that the issue of our economy and what influences it is better understood and more successfully addressed.

David Rockefeller

You know, gentlemen, that I do not owe any personal income tax. But nevertheless, I send a small check, now and then, to the Internal Revenue Service out of the kindness of my heart.

David Rockefeller

I believe that government is the servant of the people and not their master.

David Rockefeller

I am a passionate traveler, and from the time I was a child, travel formed me as much as my formal education.

David Rockefeller

When you have a lot of resources, the most important thing is to have had good parents and to have been brought up by people who gave one the proper values.

David Rockefeller

The attacks on the World Trade Center and the current economic recession, which is particularly powerful in New York City, have put a number of building plans on hold for the time being.

David Rockefeller

I suspect that many corporations have begun to understand that they have an important role to play in the lives of their communities, and that allocating funds to support local groups helps them discharge that function and also burnish their image.

David Rockefeller

I owe much to mother. She had an expert's understanding, but also approached art emotionally.

David Rockefeller

As children we recognized that we belonged to an unusual, even exceptional, family, but the effect was different on each of us.

David Rockefeller

I think of art as the highest level of creativity. To me, it is one of the greatest sources of enjoyment.

David Rockefeller

I do not like to be unkind.

David Rockefeller

It is true that I am often startled and even angered and repulsed by the strange directions and provocative content of new forms that seem to pop up every few months.

David Rockefeller

A museum has to renew its collection to be alive, but that does not mean we give on important old works.

David Rockefeller

I learned more from my mother than from all the art historians and curators who have informed me about technical aspects of art history and art appreciation over the years.

David Rockefeller