Bill Gates

And, you know, sending me to a therapist actually ended up being brilliant and sending me to a very nice private school where the classes were a bit smaller and, you know, I could get, I always got an unfair, you

share of attention from the teachers, you know, we'd have like 15 people in the class, but, you know, almost 20% of the teacher's time in terms of telling me what to read or, you know, marking my writing up, you know, I got an unfair share, partly because my curiosity or energy level, you know, did mark me out in both positive and negative ways.

share of attention from the teachers, you know, we'd have like 15 people in the class, but, you know, almost 20% of the teacher's time in terms of telling me what to read or, you know, marking my writing up, you know, I got an unfair share, partly because my curiosity or energy level, you know, did mark me out in both positive and negative ways.

Well, it was a very rare thing. In fact, the other people coming to him were these couples that were having arguments. And so in a, I hope, privacy appropriate way, he would kind of give me a sense of that. He gave me a few IQ tests. He had me read about Freud and all these things. But slowly but surely, he was saying to me that, fighting your parents really has no purpose.

Well, it was a very rare thing. In fact, the other people coming to him were these couples that were having arguments. And so in a, I hope, privacy appropriate way, he would kind of give me a sense of that. He gave me a few IQ tests. He had me read about Freud and all these things. But slowly but surely, he was saying to me that, fighting your parents really has no purpose.

I mean, they really do love you. They're on your side. You should apply your energy towards other things. And, you know, eventually he made me feel kind of foolish. Like, yeah, why was I taking these, what I thought were kind of arbitrary rules or where my mom would say, you should respect me. And I'd say, well, you know, I don't know. And a little bit as I figured out,

I mean, they really do love you. They're on your side. You should apply your energy towards other things. And, you know, eventually he made me feel kind of foolish. Like, yeah, why was I taking these, what I thought were kind of arbitrary rules or where my mom would say, you should respect me. And I'd say, well, you know, I don't know. And a little bit as I figured out,

I could understand things like playing cards as well or better than my grandmother, or I could read books that had complicated things. I was a bit showing off to saying, because my cognition is good, why should you be able to set arbitrary rules? But anyway, I'm embarrassed when I think about it now. But Dr. Cressy,

I could understand things like playing cards as well or better than my grandmother, or I could read books that had complicated things. I was a bit showing off to saying, because my cognition is good, why should you be able to set arbitrary rules? But anyway, I'm embarrassed when I think about it now. But Dr. Cressy,

was so encouraging to me in general, and then got across, he probably understood at the first meeting that I had to be convinced to make this change, but he did it in a super nice way. And so the idea that, no, my parents, yes, they're imperfect, but wow, they're on my side, that changed my behavior.

was so encouraging to me in general, and then got across, he probably understood at the first meeting that I had to be convinced to make this change, but he did it in a super nice way. And so the idea that, no, my parents, yes, they're imperfect, but wow, they're on my side, that changed my behavior.

They, I thought, oh, I need to be so clever to win and I'm going to apply all this energy to win. And so the idea when he says, no, you're going to win, it's like, oh, I see. It's not because I'm clever. It's because they care for me and they're trying to help me. And their main concern is, am I ready to go out in the world? And if I have capabilities, will I develop those and use those? And

They, I thought, oh, I need to be so clever to win and I'm going to apply all this energy to win. And so the idea when he says, no, you're going to win, it's like, oh, I see. It's not because I'm clever. It's because they care for me and they're trying to help me. And their main concern is, am I ready to go out in the world? And if I have capabilities, will I develop those and use those? And

You know, my mom always had a way of kind of pushing me to do more. I said to her once, you know, you told me to go to the heart of school. And she said, no, I never actually said that. And I said to her, well, wait a minute. parents would come over, you'd say how bad they must feel that their kid didn't go to college or something like that.

You know, my mom always had a way of kind of pushing me to do more. I said to her once, you know, you told me to go to the heart of school. And she said, no, I never actually said that. And I said to her, well, wait a minute. parents would come over, you'd say how bad they must feel that their kid didn't go to college or something like that.

So, okay, it was indirect, but, you know, it was kind of there. So, you know, my mom certainly encouraged me, you know, and sometimes I felt overwhelmed by that, but my eventual reaction to just, okay, try to outdo any levels she set and ended up working out well.

So, okay, it was indirect, but, you know, it was kind of there. So, you know, my mom certainly encouraged me, you know, and sometimes I felt overwhelmed by that, but my eventual reaction to just, okay, try to outdo any levels she set and ended up working out well.

Well, things like table manners. I'm like, well, you know, okay, I have to take the ketchup and put it in a bowl and then do this, and I'm not supposed to put my elbows on the table. And, you know, she was just, you know, trying to make sure I was civilized a little bit, you know, what I would wear and everything. They definitely got me engaged with adults.

Well, things like table manners. I'm like, well, you know, okay, I have to take the ketchup and put it in a bowl and then do this, and I'm not supposed to put my elbows on the table. And, you know, she was just, you know, trying to make sure I was civilized a little bit, you know, what I would wear and everything. They definitely got me engaged with adults.

You know, my social skills were slow to develop with people other than a few boys like myself. But with adults, because they were having them over and I, you know, got so I could ask those adults to talk about what they were doing, that was really valuable to me because I ended up through that and through one of my early friends having more of an outlook of, okay, where am I headed now?