Mohammed bin Rashid shares fourth letter, this time to Sheikh Maktoum

Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has shared a new letter addressed to Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, praising his leadership and reflecting on the principles that have sustained Dubai’s growth and prosperity.

The letter is the fourth shared from The Letters, Sheikh Mohammed’s latest book and the second part of Lessons from Life.

The collection comprises 26 letters drawing on nearly six decades of public service and is addressed to his family, team, the people of the UAE and readers around the world.

The book opens with a letter to President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 

The latest message follows letters shared with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence; and Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum. The letter to Sheikha Hind, shared earlier this week, reflected on their family, marriage and legacy. 

In his letter to Sheikh Maktoum, Sheikh Mohammed praises his stewardship of federal budgets, Dubai’s economy and the emirate’s judicial system before sharing lessons from his own experience about how cities rise, prosper and ultimately preserve their success.

A Letter to Maktoum

To Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum... my son, my support, my strength, and one in whom I place my trust...

To Maktoum, entrusted with our story, our journey, our legacy and our city...

To Maktoum, guardian of our gains, supporter of our achievements, and trustee of the wealth of generations...

I write you this letter with my heart full of confidence in you, my soul filled with pride in you, and my conscience reassured by optimism in you and in the future.

You have proved a most trusted custodian of the responsibilities we entrusted to you, a steadfast support to your brother, the Crown Prince, and a devoted son to your mother and father. May God protect you, grant you success and keep you in His care.

I have always admired your breadth of knowledge, calm temperament and ability to listen attentively to others. I have also seen in you the qualities of your grandfather: few words, unwavering commitment, a strong record of achievement, deep insight and firm determination to carry the journey forward.

Maktoum bin Mohammed... nations are like buildings. They have pillars that support them which we do not see, high walls that protect them, and outer courtyards and gardens that beautify them.

And you, Maktoum, are one of the pillars of this nation, carrying its responsibilities quietly, serving its people sincerely, and supporting this great structure by working day and night.

You took charge of the federal budgets and excelled; assumed responsibility for Dubai’s economy and distinguished yourself; and chaired its Judicial Council with fairness and justice.

Together with your brothers and your team, you continue to study projects, maintain balanced budgets, follow up on government departments and services, consolidate Dubai’s position as a global centre for finance and wealth, and safeguard these gains for our future generations.

May Allah Almighty grant you success, Maktoum. Know that nothing compares with the pride I feel in you and the joy your work brings me. Having you by my side lightens the burden of responsibility, gives me reassurance and peace of mind, and fills me with great optimism for Dubai’s future, its position and its standing.

In this letter, Maktoum, I wanted to share with you some of what life has taught me. Wisdom is the best thing I can give you, and experiences are not merely events we recount; they are lessons that can condense many years.

Life has taught me, Maktoum, that cities do not grow through the accumulation of experience alone, but through the accumulation of ambition.

The cities that led and dominated the world throughout history were not the wealthiest, but those most capable of attracting ambition... the ambitions of people: scholars, merchants, pioneers and adventurers.

They are the cities that create a sense of movement and energy, where it is easy to move, decisions are made quickly, opportunities are abundant, connections are dense, and knowledge and information flow freely.

Successful cities are those that provide an environment in which wealth interacts with ideas and institutions.

Read the history of Abbasid Baghdad, ancient Athens and Venice. And in our modern history, cities such as New York, London and Singapore, among others, were all built, at their core, on competition for people... their talents, ambitions and ideas... their curiosity, discoveries and adventures.

People, and their ambitions with them, flee pessimistic environments and fearful societies that do not respect dreams, reward ambition or engage with ideas.

Life has taught me that ports and airports do not transport goods alone. They transport knowledge, new ways of thinking and different technologies, and they create unexpected wealth.

The role of enlightened governments is to create these environments, attract dreamers, establish genuine tolerance capable of embracing these capabilities and talents, and create a global centre for the exchange of knowledge, ideas, goods and wealth.

The region in which we live frequently passes through wars, challenges and geopolitical changes. I do not doubt for a single moment that the model we have built is firmly rooted, strong and enduring, because our fundamentals have not changed, our environment has not changed, our services continue to develop, and the energy of creativity, life, movement and renewal never stops.

That is why we are not afraid... We are not afraid because we have the courage to experiment, an accumulation of minds and knowledge, a mindset of openness, and the principle that everyone wins when they work with us.

Life has taught me, Maktoum, that cities do not collapse suddenly, nor do they decline because of overwhelming external forces. Their decline begins from within... when their movement freezes, pessimism spreads through their environment, and their societies begin to close in on themselves and reject different ideas.

Life has taught me that the spirit of innovation in societies is a spark and a source of energy. If it disappears, it cannot easily be replaced. When that spirit is extinguished, it is replaced by institutional convention, rigid systems and societies fearful of losing their gains.

The creative energy that created prosperity then recedes, and ambition migrates... and the migration of ambition is faster than the migration of capital.

Life has taught me, my son, that the success of cities lies neither in their location nor in their wealth and resources, but in their mindset. Cities that embrace the merchant mindset love exploration, embrace openness, thrive on the exchange of goods, knowledge and mutual benefit, and have confidence in the future.

But cities that see others as a threat to their interests, sense danger in every step, and allow the instinct of fear to dominate all their relationships have condemned themselves to decline and collapse.

Perhaps this is the most important lesson in sustaining prosperity, Maktoum... the story is about mindset, not geography.

Keeping the wheels of growth turning begins with protecting this mindset and nurturing this culture... Dubai’s culture, the merchant mindset, the spirit of courage and openness, and constant movement.

May Allah Almighty grant you success, my son, protect you and keep you in His care, and guide your steps along the path of glory and prosperity.