WIST Quotations

Rickover, Hyman -- Speech (1982-01-28), Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, 97th Congress, 2nd Session

Dave — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:09:43 +0000

A preoccupation with the so-called bottom line of profit and loss statements, coupled with a lust for expansion, is creating an environment in which fewer businessmen honor traditional values; where responsibility is increasingly disassociated from the exercise of power; where skill in financial manipulation is valued more than actual knowledge and experience in the business; where attention and effort is directed mostly to short-term considerations, regardless of longer range consequences.

Hyman Rickover (1900–1986) Polish-American naval engineer, admiral [b. Chaim Gdala Rykower]
Speech (1982-01-28), Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, 97th Congress, 2nd Session
(Source)

Shakespeare, William -- King Lear, Act 2, sc. 4, l. 84ff (2.4.84-91) (1606)

Dave — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 22:51:39 +0000

FOOL: That sir which serves and seeks for gain,
And follows but for form,
Will pack when it begins to rain
And leave thee in the storm.
But I will tarry; the Fool will stay,
And let the wise man fly.
The knave turns fool that runs away;
The Fool, no knave, perdy.

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
King Lear, Act 2, sc. 4, l. 84ff (2.4.84-91) (1606)
(Source)

Perdie, perdy: "by God" (from the French par Dieu].

Keynes, John Maynard -- The Treatise on Money (1930)

Dave — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 14:53:47 +0000

The engine which drives Enterprise is not Thrift, but Profit.

John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) English economist
The Treatise on Money (1930)