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Paul Allen: 11 inspiring quotes that the Microsoft co-founder would have wanted you to live your life by

Paul Allen: 11 inspiring quotes that the Microsoft co-founder would have wanted you to live your life by

On 15 October, the co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen, died aged 65 after suffering complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Allen had previously been treated for the disease in 2009 but revealed two weeks ago that it had returned, but said that doctors were "optimistic" about his treatment.

The Seattle-born business magnate and philanthropist founded Microsoft in 1975 alongside his long-term friend Bill Gates.

Speaking of his friends passing Gates said:

I am heartbroken by the passing of one of my oldest and dearest friends... Personal computing would not have existed without him.

From our early days together at Lakeside School, through our partnership in the creation of Microsoft, to some of our joint philanthropic projects over the years, Paul was a true partner and dear friend.

He deserved much more time, but his contributions to the world of technology and philanthropy will live on for generations to come. I will miss him tremendously.

A statement from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella paid tribute to Allen's contributions to the company.

Besides being an innovator in the world of technology, Allen was also involved in real estate, sports franchises, artificial intelligence, science, entertainment and even aerospace.

Throughout his life and career, Allen proved to be a lover of the arts, an environmentalist and a visionary thinker in many different ways.

To honour his life and legacy here are 11 quotes which Paul Allen would have wanted you to live your life by.

On arts and innovation...

If you think about making a difference in the community, my family has always had a strong interest in the arts.

I’m always interested in finding ways to innovate… It’s a blend; it’s not a point focus.

On books...

I grew up around books.

When I first held the book and it was a substantive, tangible thing, and I thought of all the work that went into it, not just my work but everybody else’s and the research and so forth, there’s a sense of really have done something worthwhile.

On optimism...

Any crusade requires optimism and the ambition to aim high.

On existence and potential...

What should exist? To me, that's the most exciting question imaginable.

What do we need that we don't have? How can we realise our potential?

On failure...

In my experience, each failure contains the seeds of your next success - if you are willing to learn from it.

On focusing on balance in your life...

Technology is notorious for engrossing people so much that they don’t always focus on balance and enjoy life at the same time.

On global warming...

In global warming, I think everyone is scratching their heads – are there technological things that can be brought to bear that can make a difference?

On charity...

When it comes to helping out, I don't believe in doing it for the media attention.

My goal is to support the organisations that need help.

On the search for knowledge...

I am very excited to be supporting one of the world’s most visionary efforts to seek basic answers to some of the fundamental question about our universe and what other civilizations may exist elsewhere.

On moving humanity forward...

The possible is constantly being redefined, and I care deeply about helping humanity move forward.

On exploration and adventure...

In the first eight or so years at Microsoft, we were always chained to our terminals, and after I got sick the first time, I decided that I was going to be more adventurous and explore more of the world.

More: 7 things Bill Gates predicted 18 years ago that have already come true

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