Robert Rubin Quotations

With the safeguards we have proposed, ... subsidiaries and affiliates are absolutely identical with respect to the ability of a bank to transfer any subsidy that may exist in the bank.

We always have to be watchful with respect to anything that can affect our system, ... But I don't know of anything in that area that rises to the level of a systemic risk to our economy at this time.

The only role we can play is to continue to very actively work to persuade the Japanese government to face these very difficult issues they have to deal with,

We very strongly want to see good financial services modernization legislation passed this year, ... The bill that came out of the Senate banking committee does not meet these requisites.

The Prime Minister said earlier in the year that his objectives were domestic demand-led growth and I think he's taken very important and very constructive steps in that direction and we very much welcome them,

Obviously, the present atmosphere makes it more difficult, ... It is imperative we get together as quickly as possible.

Nothing in my 26 years on Wall Street or my six years in government suggests that there is any predictive capability even remotely reliable enough for such a system, ... In addition, the early warning itself could create precisely the instability and even panic that such a system is designed to prevent.

I would say again now that China could be the largest economy in the world within the next few decades -- though accomplishing that will be no easy task.

I do not think a tax cut contributes to our economic well-being,

I believe that support for Al Gore and Joe Lieberman is support for sound economic policy and a strong economy for years ahead, ... I worked with Al Gore for six-and-a-half years ... and I was there when doing what was best also was politically hard.

I believe that, on balance, the (institutions) have made sensible judgments, ... and have adjusted their judgments when appropriate.

Cardoso is absolutely committed to doing what needs to be done, and he has the support of the global community,

I don't think we should rule out a change in the CPI if, based on technical analysis, there's a broad-based agreement that the CPI can be changed in such a way as to better and more accurately reflect inflation, ... Meet the Press.

Had these kinds of requirements been in place before the current crisis began in 1997, the flows of capital might well have slowed at a much earlier stage, substantially reducing the severity of the crisis,

have an enormous stake ... in the success of Hong Kong.

It is probably not a bad thing for somebody doing data entry, for instance, where the boredom and monotony of it takes a toll on performance.

I think -- virtual universal agreement -- is that the CPI does not accurately reflect inflation,

I think the administration will have a Treasury secretary who is very established with the business community.

It is important to remember that the fundamentals of the United States economy are strong and have been for the past several years, and the prospects for continued growth, with low inflation and low unemployment, are strong,

I think there is more work to do, and we simply have to all work together and do everything we can to get it done,

Larry and I have been true partners through this whole period, and it's been a wonderful, wonderful partnership,

Our initial reaction is that we are intrigued by how this merger is going to be positioned and structured; in principle we think it could work as the deal is not simply two companies combining for a lack of something else to do.

It focuses predominately on middle income tax cuts for education, and for child care and for savings, ... This Week.

It is critically important, not just for Japan, but for the rest of the region and the rest of the world, that that take place.

The answer to that is no, ... I think the strong dollar policy has served us exceedingly well over the past several years and still does.

We had two objectives from the very beginning: No. 1, to get a strong WTO accession agreement that's good for the United States, and No. 2, to handle it in such a way as to have the highest probability of success in Congress,

Unfortunately, Russia hasn't adopted the reforms it needs, but we need to work with them to see they adopt the reforms,

Thus far, the effects on our economy, though real, are relatively moderate and the most likely scenario for the next year is continued solid growth and low inflation,

The overarching point of the president's economic strategy going forward in the 1999 budget is clear: under no circumstances should we take any steps that will undo the fiscal discipline that we have worked so hard to achieve and has been so central to our strong economy of the last five years.

We are working hard to reform the IRS, and it would be counterproductive at best, and very harmful at worst, if these hearings undermined morale and damaged our efforts,

There clearly was a very intense focus on the issue with respect to the current crisis and a deep sense of commitment to do everything sensible to deal with it,

We believe that any bank seeking to conduct new financial activities should be required to achieve and maintain a satisfactory CRA record, ... The draft bill fails to include this requirement.

The president's budget carries forward the economic strategy that has been so central to the strong economic conditions of the past five years, ... This budget preserves the surpluses until we strengthen Social Security, invests in areas that are critical to future productivity and the future of our country, provides for programs that protect and promote our critical economic and national security interests in the global economy, and of absolutely critical importance, this budget keeps us on the path of fiscal discipline that is so central to our economic well being.

We all shared a belief in market-based economics though we had somewhat different views as to the appropriate role of government in our society and felt that what happened abroad could greatly affect our own economic well being,

We all shared a belief in market-based economics ù though we had somewhat different views as to the appropriate role of government in our society ù and felt that what happened abroad could greatly affect our own economic well being,

We have felt from the very beginning that since the problems of Mexico in 1995, that what happens in Latin America is profoundly important for the United States,

At some point, these kinds of deficits are not viable. The probabilities are extremely high that if we don't address these imbalances, then at some point, and it could be years down the road, we'll pay a very big price.

Fiscal policy is the other ladle in the macroeconomic punch bowl, and consistency in use of the two ladles is powerful, and inconsistency can be injurious,

There's no incremental cost to the United States government in printing this bill again,

These concerns are heightened as we reflect on the financial crisis that has affected so many countries around the world over the past two years,

These students are an investment in the state's future. The alternative is to deny them the opportunity to fully participate in our workforce.

The surpluses present an enormous opportunity and one that we must not squander, ... We believe that the surpluses should be reserved until Social Security is placed on sound financial footing for the next century. After 2010, the huge baby boom generation will begin retiring which will put increased pressure on Social Security and it was on that basis that we reached the conclusion that nothing should be done with these surpluses until that problem is addressed.

After sitting with the vice president in the White House, the Oval Office and the Cabinet room over six-and-a-half years, that he was consistently sound, sensible, practical and willing to fight for politically difficult issues,

The Bureau of Economic Analysis has estimated that in 1995 Americans spent roughly $300 billion on financial services ... Even if increased competition were to lead to savings of just one percent, that's $3 billion

This isn't a question of rewarding China, ... A strong WTO agreement is very good for the United States.

This is a major world event and they have made extraordinary efforts,

This may be the most dramatic, most complicated and most significant economic transformation in modern history.

It is very hard to leave, because I feel deeply committed, ... to this administration, to the people with whom I've worked, to the issues with respect to which so much has been accomplished. But this almost six-and-a-half years has been all consuming, and I think it is time for me to go home to New York and to do whatever I'm going to do next.

It is vitally important for Latin America, the rest of the world and the United States that the international community take all steps sensible to limit the contagion that has come from the Asian financial crisis, and helping Brazil is very important in that respect also, ... What is most important though in this instance ? is the effective implementation of a strong economic program that Brazil has announced.

That is a very substantial challenge for Japan,

I've got 11 fly rods and a lot of unread books.

It's very hard to track money in Russia, ... If Russia destabilizes, the cost to the United States is going to be vastly greater.

They can all come together and begin to feed on each other, in which case you could have a very severe and seriously threatening set of economic impacts that would create an immensely difficult problem for our economy and our political system,

The new $20 note will be an important tool against would-be counterfeiters,

As you look around the globe, it seems to me that a lot of the countries hurt by the Asian financial crises have made tremendous progress. On the other hand, in all of those countries there's a lot to do.

The international community has a strong program. ? I think the key, however, is that the program is only as effective as the implementation. And I think that we have been in a very aggressive mode over the course of the last year, and I think that what we need to do is remain in even more aggressive mode as we go forward, so each of us does our part,

I'm not going to get into the business of market prognostication,

I'm sure that this will prove to be a phenomenon that is very complicated, involving tens or hundreds of genes.

I'm saying that we have significant concerns about significant portions ? of this, ... We need to work with Congress to work our way through that.

I had three criteria: I didn't want to be a CEO, I wanted to be involved with an institution I was proud of, and I wanted to be involved in an institution that was important to me,

I may have implied that in some sense we have taken intervention off the table. That certainly would not have been a correct implication,

In principal, we would not view a combination between the two companies as a bad thing.

His (Clinton's) view -- and it has been his view since the beginning of this administration -- is to respect totally the independence of the Fed,

I'd really like to help in any way that I can,

The key is to continue to focus on the challenges that lie ahead, to continue to remain deeply engaged in helping the countries that are in difficulty,

The key is that these are now longstanding problems, and it is going to take a concerted and very substantial effort over a sustained period of time for Japan to get back on track,

The floating exchange rate system is the worst possible system, except for all the others,

the focus will be very largely on Japan and the urgent importance of Japan implementing effective measures to lead to a sustained, domestic, demand-led growth, which is critical not only for the Japanese people but for the people of Asia and, indeed, for recovery in the rest of the world.

The implications of Hurricane Katrina are clearly not positive for the Entergy enterprise, as the company's operations were the hardest hit of any electric utility system,

The important thing is for countries to stay on a sensible economic path as the world works through a very difficult time. What Japan does is very important to the rest of the world,

You've got a lot of proposals that have been advocated by a lot of people,

The fundamentals of the United States economy are strong due in part to the sound policies we've been following. The prospects for growth, low unemployment, low inflation continue to be strong.

the financial architecture of the 21 st century, an architecture that is as modern as the markets.

The introduction provides us with an opportunity to educate cash-handlers and consumers about the importance of authenticating currency, ... These security features are effective only when they are used.

The longer we don't face them, the harder they get,

We simply cannot afford any further delay in providing the IMF with the resources it requires to help contain the threat of further financial and political instability around the world.

In terms of myself, I said from the very beginning that I wanted to work in the management of Citigroup and I didn't want to be a CEO, ... That's not what I want to do with myself at the moment.

All of us as consumers have gotten spoiled, ... We expect customized goods and services at commodity prices. The only way we can do that is to cut the fat out of our price structure.

We do not view 2005 to be a clean operating year, and the positives of beating expectations are offset by guidance moving around.

I don't have a distaste for ambiguity, in fact, ambiguity is what I think life is all about.

I agree with what the Chairman Greenspan said whatever it is that he did say.

To be manager of the Yankees under the malevolent dictatorship of George Steinbrenner is like being married to Zsa Zsa Gabor - the union is short and sweet.

A strong currency means that American consumers and businesses can buy imported goods and services more cheaply and that inflation and interest rates will be lower, ... It also puts pressure on American industry to increase productivity and competitiveness. These benefits can feed on themselves as foreign capital flows in more readily because of greater confidence in our currency. A weak dollar would have the contrary effects.

Rigor is always appropriate when investing in markets, whatever the ultimate conclusions may be.

The only certainty is that there is no certainty.

I think it could have real changing effects on the financial markets of our country, it could cause investors to think more about real rates of return and that in turn could spawn new kinds of products,

Condoms aren't completely safe. A friend of mine was wearing one and got hit by a bus.

Any individual decisions can be badly thought through, and yet be successful, or exceedingly well thought through, but be unsuccessful, because the recognized possibility of failure in fact occurs. But over time, more thoughtful decision-making will lead to better overall results, and more thoughtful decision-making can be encouraged by evaluating decisions on how well they were made rather than on outcome.

Here at home, ... while the most likely scenario remains solid growth and low inflation -- subject to the usual ups and downs -- certain sectors have been impacted by the crisis, some because of increased imports and others because of decreased exports. Moreover, problems in the global economy do constitute a risk to all our overall economic well-being.

First, the only certainty is that there is no certainty. Second, every decision as a consequence is a matter of weighing probabilities. Third, despite uncertainty we must decide and we must act. And lastly we need to judge decisions not only on the results, but how those decisions were made.

Some people are more certain of everything than I am of anything.

We do not face a choice between protecting our environment or protecting our economy. We face a choice between protecting our economy by protecting our environment - or allowing environmental havoc to create economic havoc.