“While the financial crisis destroyed careers and reputations, and left many more bruised and battered, it also left the survivors with a genuine sense of invulnerability at having made it back from the brink. Still missing in the current environment is a genuine sense of humility.”

“There are no atheists in foxholes or ideologues in a financial crisis. Ben Bernanke”

“The numbers were, at best, guesstimates, and all three men knew it. The relevant figure would ultimately be the one that represented the most they could possibly ask from Congress without raising too many questions. Whatever that sum turned out to be, they knew they could count on (Interim Assistant Secretary of the Treasury) Kashkari to perform some sort of mathematical voodoo to justify it:”

“Everyone thinks Goldman is so fucking smart,” he railed. “Just because Goldman says this is the right valuation, you shouldn’t assume it’s correct just because Goldman said it. My brother works at Goldman, and he’s an idiot!”

“The smallest bookstore still contains more ideas of worth than have been presented in the entire history of television. ”

“Government should be a place where people can come together, and no one gets left behind. No one…gets left behind. An instrument of good.”

“you will need a great deal of self-discipline not to lose your sense of balance, humility, and commitment.”