“I have a responsibility to devote my energy to my country and my people.”

“I have been doing good deeds since I was just a small child.”

“I have to be grateful to our society here in China, grateful to the economic reforms for letting me get rich, and grateful for the efforts of my staff. If there had been no reforms, I would have been a farmer.”

“I intend to buy 'The New York Times.' Please don't take it as a joke.”

“I like to get my hands dirty. Talk is cheap.”

“I may be a maverick, but it doesn't mean I like playing tricks.”

“I want Chinese history to remember me as Carnegie is remembered. I want Chinese people to remember me as they remember Marx and Lenin.”

“I want to spread the message in the U.S. that there are good philanthropists in China, and not all are crazy spenders on luxury goods.”

“I want to tell mayors, county chiefs and heads of big companies: don't just chase GDP growth; don't chase the biggest profits at the expense of our children and grandchildren and at the cost of sacrificing our ecological environment.”

“I was not born into a rich family or a family of government officials.”

“If you have a river, then you should share it with everyone.”

“If you have only a glass of water, then one person can drink. If you have a bucket, a whole family can benefit.”

“Many rich people in China made their fortunes by damaging natural resources and building corrupt relations with the government.”

“My goal is to work diligently to become the top philanthropist in the world.”

“My plan for 'The New York Times,' if I get the deal, will be putting the paper on every newsstand across the country and making 'The Times' accessible to every Chinese household. China is such a big market and is too big to miss.”

“My wealth is very limited. I need to influence other people to give.”

“My younger brother runs a guesthouse, and my sister is a janitor. I have not given them money because they earn their own money. I pay for their children's school fees.”

“One summer vacation, I carried water to the town market to sell it, and I used some of the money I made to help a neighbour.”

“Society needs hundreds of hundreds of thousands of Chen Guangbiaos.”

“Starting my business has been very hard work. I have received no help from any officials at all.”

“The tradition and style of the 'New York Times' make it very difficult to have objective coverage of China. If we could purchase it, its tone might turn around.”

“The world needs a person like me so that many other rich people will be able to follow my role model. If they do, many poor people will be helped.”

“When I was 4 years old, my brother and sister died of hunger, so I achieved my success through confidence, self-motivation and my hard work.”

“When I was eight years old, I was always starving. My brother and sister died from starvation.”

“When I was young, I liked to be acknowledged in class by little gestures such as a small red star for doing something good. Now that I'm older, I still want to be acknowledged for good work.”

“Whenever I see people in difficulty, I just try to help them. In fact, I believe I have helped over 700,000 people in my life.”