The securitisation of mortgages added a new dimension of systemic risk. Financial engineers claimed they were reducing risks through geographic diversification: in fact they were increasing them by creating an agency problem. The agents were more interested in maximising fee income than in protecting the interests of bondholders. That is the verity that was ignored by regulators and market participants alike.
My foundations support people in the country who care about an open society. It's their work that I'm supporting. So it's not me doing it. But I can empower them. I can support them, and I can help them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of supporting and empowering those who strive for an open society rather than claiming personal credit for their work.
In this quote, George Soros expresses his belief that his contributions are not about his individual efforts but about the support and empowerment of others who work towards maintaining an open and democratic society. He conveys that true impact comes from lifting up those who share his vision, highlighting the collaborative nature of social change and the importance of collective action in fostering an inclusive community.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech at a charity event to underline the importance of collective efforts.
More from George Soros
All quotes →The collapse of the global marketplace would be a traumatic event with unimaginable consequences. Yet I find it easier to imagine than the continuation of the present regime.
Regulating and taxing marijuana would simultaneously save taxpayers billions of dollars in enforcement and incarceration costs, while providing many billions of dollars in revenue annually.
We are the most powerful nation on earth. No external power, no terrorist organization can defeat us. But we can defeat ourselves by getting caught in a quagmire.
The criminalization of marijuana did not prevent marijuana from becoming the most widely used illegal substance in the United States and many other countries. But it did result in extensive costs and negative consequences.
Stock market bubbles don't grow out of thin air. They have a solid basis in reality, but reality as distorted by a misconception.
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Peace on earth would mean the end of civilization as we know it.
She always says she dislikes the abnormal, it is so obvious. She says the normal is so much more simply complicated and interesting.
It is of great importance in a republic, not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers; but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part.
It's never been true, not anywhere at anytime, that the value of a soul, of a human spirit, is dependent on a number on a scale.