Quotes From "Confidence Men: Wall Street Washington And The Education Of A President" By Ron Suskind

1
The whole game was about confidence, as it always was. Everything was fine–until it wasn't. Ron Suskind
2
Confidence is the immaterial residue of material actions. Confidence is the public face of competence. Ron Suskind
3
Summers was simply a master explainer, able to deftly boil down the complexities of economic and financial, and to put them in terms the non-expert could understand. He was brilliant at cultivating a sense of control, even as events spun far beyond what could be managed with any certainty. He could will into being the confidence that eluded others, those less self-assured and, maybe sensibly, on humbler terms with the world. Ron Suskind
4
The problems afflicting a nation are always in equal measure spiritual crises. Ron Suskind
5
If the opposite of certainty is doubt, humility must lie somewhere between the two, Ron Suskind
6
Civilizations rise and fall on confidence. America had figured out a way to borrow money to manufacture it. Ron Suskind
7
Rapid change, accommodating it can be one of the great human capacities. But living through it can be the stuff of stress and often suffering. Ron Suskind
8
It is one thing to rouse the passion of a people, and quite another to lead them. Ron Suskind
9
If the breadth of perspectives is wide enough to represent the fullest range of views, consensus is unlikely. If consensus is swiftly achieved, it probably means too few voices have been heard. Ron Suskind
10
These were lobbyists–many of them compensated quite handsomely not to react as human beings. Ron Suskind
11
Younger colleagues tended to draw untested self-confidence from their bonuses and prestigious degrees. Ron Suskind