In November 2017, New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman conducted a landmark interview with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. During their conversation, Friedman observed the relentless, around-the-clock work culture among the young prince and his senior advisers. Friedman noted that MBS’s intense work habits reminded him of a famous line from the musical Hamilton, in which the chorus asks why the protagonist always works like he is “running out of time”.When asked directly why he operated at such a breakneck pace, Mohammed bin Salman offered his candid response:“Because I fear that the day I die, I am going to die without accomplishing what I have in my mind. Life is too short, and a lot of things can happen, and I am really keen to see it with my own eyes, and that is why I am in a hurry.”
MBS and a radical departure from traditional Saudi leadership
Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, widely known as MBS, serves as the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. Born in 1985, his rise within the Saudi governance structure was swift. When his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, ascended the throne in early 2015, MBS was appointed Minister of Defense. Soon after, he took control of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA), giving him direction over the kingdom’s economic policy, sovereign wealth fund, and domestic security apparatus. In June 2017, he was formally elevated to Crown Prince.MBS represented a radical departure from traditional Saudi leadership. For decades, the kingdom was led by older monarchs who favored slow, consensus-based, and deeply conservative governance. In contrast, MBS established a centralized, top-down leadership style designed to push rapid economic and cultural changes across the country.
Philosophy behind the quote
While MBS expressed his personal goal and feelings, the quote is a reminder of mortality and human fear of running out of time before what they think needs to be done.When someone says they are in a hurry because life is short and they want to see their ideas become reality, they are dealing with a few basic ideas.First, it is about facing the reality that we all die. Most people try not to think about death, but focusing on the fact that time is limited can act like a wake-up call. It creates a powerful urge to stop waiting around and get things done immediately. The biggest fear here is not death itself, but dying with your work unfinished and your ideas left trapped in your head.Second, it shows a deep desire to turn an inner vision into real-life results. Everyone has ideas, but some people feel an intense personal responsibility to build those ideas into the physical world. They treat life like a race against the clock to prove that their thoughts were not just empty dreams, but something real.Third, it is about wanting to see the results yourself. A lot of people build things for the far future, accepting that they won’t be around to see the final product. But this quote pushes back against that idea. It comes from a wish to be alive to witness the change firsthand, rather than leaving it for future generations to enjoy.Finally, it reflects a belief that one person’s energy can speed up the world. Instead of letting changes happen slowly over decades, it is the mindset that if you work hard enough and push fast enough, you can force the future to arrive much sooner.