What is the meaning of life?

To love and be loved by others.

What is the difference between right and wrong?

Are your actions making other people’s lives better or worse?

Where is your happy place?

Outdoors. Ideally on a beach with [my husband] Bill, each with our own copy of the same book.

Nature or nurture?

Both. As I’ve travelled the world with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, I’ve seen again and again that while human potential is evenly distributed, the opportunity to reach that potential is not. Bill and I believe that everyone, no matter where they’re born, deserves the chance to thrive.

Is it more important to be liked or respected?

Respected. Whether someone likes you ultimately says as much about them as it does about you. Respect is more objective and harder to earn.

Melinda Gates reveals the secret to finding work-life balance