Niccolo Machiavelli

There are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; The first is the most excellent, the second is good, & the third is useless.

Thomas Jeffererson

Say nothing of my religion. It is known to God and myself alone. It's evidence before the world is to be sought in my Life: if it has been honest and dutiful to society the religion which has regulated it cannot be a bad one.

The Financial World is Curved - David M. Smick

"Unlike the world that produces goods and sercices, in the financial world nothing happens in a straight line. Instead, there is a continual series of unforeseen discontinuities - twists and turns of uncertainty that often require millions of market participants to stand conventional wisdom on its head, In the financial world, John nothing much seems to happen in a straight line."