Richard Branson

I love creating hideaways. My idea is to go to the most beautiful, unspoilt places, buy the land, and make sure it is never damaged. I’ve always admired John D. Rockefeller, who bought up tracts of land to ensure they were left wild in perpetuity.

Richard Branson

I love creating things, and as an entrepreneur, I’ve taken on quite a lot of major corporations and done well. Capitalism is the only system that works, but it has its flaws; for one, it brings great wealth to only a few people. That wealth obviously brings extreme responsibility.

Richard Branson

I love eating meat, but I love our planet even more. So I will join this campaign and stop eating meat at least one day each week.

Richard Branson

I love Notting Hill and Westbourne Grove – there is so much life and vitality around Portobello and Ladbroke Grove. It has come up a lot since I started Virgin more than 40 years ago, but there is so much character.

Richard Branson

I love to dance, but my children tell me I shouldn’t. Can’t see why.

Richard Branson

I moved into a nice houseboat in Little Venice when I was 15 years old. I found a girlfriend called Monday and a houseboat called Friday, so I had the week sewn up.

Richard Branson

I set up this magazine called Student when I was 16, and I didn’t do it to make money – I did it because I wanted to edit a magazine. There wasn’t a national magazine run by students, for students. I didn’t like the way I was being taught at school. I didn’t like what was going on in the world, and I wanted to put it right.

Richard Branson

I think business leaders all over the world should not just think of how we can make lots of money, which is fine, but to take some of the problems in the world and get out there and tackle them using business. I think that if businesses do that we can get on top of these problems.

Richard Branson

I think that marijuana should be legalized. I think the only reason it isn’t legal is because politicians who smoked it when they were young men or young women just don’t have the courage when they become politicians to legalize it.

Richard Branson

I truly believe that capitalism was created to help people live better lives, but sadly over the years it has lost its way a bit. The short-term focus on profit has driven most businesses to forget about the important long-term role they have in taking care of people and the planet.

Richard Branson