Episode 62 · Published Jun 10, 2020
The COVID-19 crisis has made me realize that if there's anything I really want to get done in my life, I need to get it done sooner. I am ratcheting up my activity. I'm doing what I call sprinting to the finish line now because I realize how fragile life really can be and this crisis brought it home to me.”
After achieving financial success by co-founding and co-chairing the private equity firm The Carlyle Group, David Rubenstein is now redefining philanthropic success. His approach is what he calls “patriotic philanthropy,” which is focused on giving his time, considerable energy and expertise, and financial support to causes that help remind people of the history and heritage of the nation. He chairs nonprofits including the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institution, and he personally helped finance the restoration of the Washington Monument.
“You can love humanity by doing more than just writing checks,” he tells Mike. “Giving your time and your energy and ideas can be just as valuable. What you should try to do is something that justifies your existence on the face of the earth for that short period of time.…I was able in this country to get fortunate and now I want to repay my country.”
© 2024
Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream.
All rights reserved.
