“I do not believe in supporting bailouts without strongramifications. It is a fool’s fantasy to think we can live in a globallyconnected economy and never have a situation arise where the governmentprudently steps in to prevent a failure that might lead tocatastrophic ramifications. In most cases, I believe it would be muchbetter to let bailed-out companies fail when they have mismanagedthemselves, rather than waste taxpayer money propping up greedyidiots who are trying to salvage their own bonuses; however, thereare exceptions to almost every rule. The wiser course would be topenalize the CEO or board of directors who drove the companyto the brink of failure. The most obvious punishment would be theelimination of any “golden parachutes” or bonuses for the executiveand seizure of all company-derived assets, including any attempts tohide company assets in the spouse’s name. When C-level executivescome to the realization that managing a company is not a game andthat there are serious consequences for their actions, we will see fewerinstances of requests for bailouts.”

“The beauty of the concept is that it takes the wind out of so many would-be ethical sails: the company that owns the porn-mag owns the company that makes the washing powder. The company that owns the munitions plants owns the company that makes the budgerigar food. The company that owns the nuclear waste owns the company that picks up your trash. These days, thanks to me, unless you pack up and go and live in a cave, you're putting money into evil and shit. And let's be realistic, if the cost of ethics is life in a cave . . .”

“This is important stuff, so it's crucial not to get too serious, to realize that this is all fun and games. The attitude 'business is serious, it's not fun and games' leads to financial failure, and I won't tolerate it in my company.”

“It’s impossible for a company to get what it wants most if managers have to make a choice between their own values and company priorities.”

“We bereaved are not alone. We belong to the largest company in all the world--the company of those who have known suffering.”

“I do not believe in the power of brand names or in emulatingany of the brand name investors out there. It is a fact that all—ifnot at least most—of the biggest names in American finance andindustry out there today have proven after the 2008 crisis to be someof the most incompetent people there are. Starting with the untouchableGoldman Sachs, who was bailed out by over $5 billion fromWarren Buffett, to AIG and Citibank, who were bailed out by thehundreds of billions of dollars from the Troubled Asset Relief Program(TARP), having a name and a history does not make you the brightestand the best. All it takes is one nincompoop with a huge ego or aboard of directors who think they are smarter than everyone else todestroy what has taken generations to build.”