I'm only rich because I know when I'm wrong...I basically have survived by recognizing my mistakes.

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

As an anonymous participant in financial markets, I never had to weigh the social consequences of my actions ... I felt justified in ignoring them on the grounds that I was playing by the rules.

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

In politics, manipulating reality can take presidence over finding reality.

Stock market bubbles don't grow out of thin air. They have a solid basis in reality, but reality as distorted by a misconception.

If I had to sum up my practical skills, I would use one word: survival. And operating a hedge fund utilized my training in survival to the fullest.