I fancied myself as some kind of god or an economic reformer like Keynes

Increase your bets when you are confident and scale down your positions when you don't have conviction.

Germans tend to forget now that the euro was largely a Franco-German creation. No country has benefited more from the euro than Germany, both politically and economically. Therefore what has happened as a result of the introduction of the euro is largely Germany's its responsibility.

The financial markets play an active role in determining what's going to happen, how the economy is going to function.

What works for Germany can't work for the rest of Europe: No country can run a chronic surplus without others running deficits.

Sometimes time actually works against you if you refuse to face the relevant issues and explain to the public what is at stake.

When you sell options, you get paid for assuming risk. That can be a profitable business, but it does not mix well with the risks inherent in a leveraged portfolio.