Paul Singer Quotes

Powerful Paul Singer for Daily Growth

About Paul Singer

Paul Singer (born July 14, 1944) is an American attorney, investor, philanthropist, and Republican Party donor. Known for his successful career in business and politics, he has significantly impacted the financial world and various causes close to him. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Singer studied at Princeton University and Harvard Law School. After a brief stint as a lawyer, he co-founded Elliot Management Corporation (EMC) in 1977, where he serves as CEO and Chairman. EMC is one of the world's leading hedge funds, managing approximately $40 billion in assets. Singer's investment strategies have earned him a reputation as an influential figure in global finance. He has been credited with popularizing distressed debt investing and activist shareholder tactics. In 2013, Forbes ranked Singer as the 79th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $23 billion. In addition to his business pursuits, Singer is also active in politics and philanthropy. He has donated millions to Republican candidates and causes, including the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio. His philanthropic interests span from education and healthcare to Israel advocacy and conservative political organizations. Some notable quotes by Paul Singer include: 1. "In capitalism, wealth is created, not redistributed." 2. "The world is a very complex place, and there's rarely one right answer." 3. "It's important to focus on the things you can control and influence." 4. "One of the great benefits of free-market capitalism is that it allows for the development of businesses, industries, and economies from the ground up." 5. "If you want to have a voice in how things are done, you have to take the risk of doing them yourself."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The secret of successful investing is to have a disciplined process."

Paul Singer's quote emphasizes the importance of having a systematic, well-defined approach to investing. A disciplined process refers to consistently following an investment strategy, rules, or guidelines that are based on thorough analysis, research, and experience. This approach aims to minimize emotional decisions, reduce risk, and improve long-term performance in financial markets. In other words, maintaining discipline in the investment process helps investors make rational, informed decisions and stay focused on their goals despite market fluctuations.


"In times of crisis, you find out who is swimming naked." (This quote is often attributed to Paul Singer but was actually first used by Warwick Collins in his book "The Swimming Lesson.")

This quote by Paul Singer or Warwick Collins suggests that during challenging times, the true nature of individuals or entities becomes exposed. The phrase "swimming naked" metaphorically refers to a person who is pretentious and lacks substance when things are going smoothly, but their inadequacies become glaringly obvious under stress or crisis. In other words, it reveals who has been merely dressing up without any real foundation or resources to face adversity.


"The most important thing is to do sensible things and have a process that works over time."

This quote emphasizes the value of practicality, consistency, and long-term strategies in achieving success or progress. The key message is that one should focus on implementing sensibly thought-out actions, and maintain an effective system or methodology, rather than relying solely on instant gratification or unpredictable outcomes. In essence, it suggests that adhering to a reliable process, which consistently delivers results over time, is more important and beneficial than short-term fixes or impulsive decisions.


"The best way to predict the future is to create it." (This quote is a paraphrase of a quote by Peter Drucker, but Paul Singer has used it in his speeches.)

This quote emphasizes the power of taking action and shaping one's own destiny. Instead of passively waiting for future events to unfold, it encourages proactivity and initiative. In essence, it suggests that by actively working towards a desired outcome, we are better equipped to shape our future rather than simply predicting it based on past trends or circumstances.


"If you want to be successful, it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing."

This quote by Paul Singer emphasizes that success is achievable through a combination of knowledge, passion, and belief in one's work. Knowledge refers to understanding the tasks at hand, having the necessary skills, and being informed about relevant topics. Love indicates enjoying what you do, finding fulfillment and satisfaction in your endeavors. Lastly, belief underscores the importance of having confidence in oneself and one's abilities, as well as faith in the value and potential outcomes of the work undertaken. In essence, success results from engaging in meaningful activities with awareness, enthusiasm, and conviction.


In the workplace, employees should be judged on their merit and hard work and not on aspects that are irrelevant to their performance.

- Paul Singer

Work, Merit, Aspects, Irrelevant

Individual liberty, the basic underpinning of American society, requires constant defense against the encroachment of the state.

- Paul Singer

Individual, Constant, Individual Liberty

What I think about derivatives is if every institution that owns or trades them is properly margined and marked to market, including end-users, including every institution, including sovereigns and multilateral institutions, then the system would be safe - if people were margined the way customers of investment banks are margined.

- Paul Singer

I Think, About, Properly, Trades

In government, the forces of risk-aversion and constant conflict serve to stultify and narrow the range of ideas up for debate.

- Paul Singer

Government, Debate, Constant, Narrow

The Orderly Liquidation Authority prescribed by Dodd-Frank should be repealed and replaced by an amendment to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code which would operate to prevent cross-default provisions from impacting derivatives books so long as mark-to-market payments are being made in a timely fashion.

- Paul Singer

Amendment, Code, Payments, Liquidation

Successful hedge funds will be entrepreneurial; it is the essence of the craft.

- Paul Singer

Craft, Will, Essence, Funds

It's true that monetary policy was too lax for too long, and the government encouraged lending to people who were unlikely to repay their loans.

- Paul Singer

Unlikely, Repay, Monetary, Lax

Imagine how much capital a country like Argentina might attract - if instead of defaulting seriatim and affecting a pose of anger toward creditors, it borrowed responsibly and honored its obligations.

- Paul Singer

Country, Imagine, Capital, Argentina

Credit ratings and risk weightings must undergo a thorough process of review and revision. No security or instrument on the planet should have a zero risk weighting.

- Paul Singer

Process, Planet, Instrument, Undergo

My concern as a citizen and as a money manager is, Oh my God, at what point does a 'whoa' moment happen to these people who own $30 trillion fixed income instruments?

- Paul Singer

Happen, Income, Citizen, Fixed

The Congo is very wealthy from oil money but is not paying its debts and at the same time is applying for special status at the World Bank. That's shocking and disingenuous.

- Paul Singer

Wealthy, Very, Applying, World Bank

Governments need to be authorized to provide 'open bank assistance.' The convolutions of Dodd-Frank aimed at 'avoiding' this tactic are ludicrous and will prove to be extremely costly to the system.

- Paul Singer

Will, Need, Prove, Dodd-Frank

Opacity on extreme levels is not addressed anywhere, including Dodd-Frank.

- Paul Singer

Including, Anywhere, Extreme, Dodd-Frank

There is no safe haven in today's markets.

- Paul Singer

Today, Haven, Markets, Safe Haven

If you want an alternative currency, check out gold. It has stood the test of thousands of years as a store of value and medium of exchange.

- Paul Singer

Want, Test, Alternative, Thousands Of Years

In both the U.S. and Europe, the budget and balance sheet numbers do not work. When 'off-balance sheet' promises are taken into account, the U.S. and most countries of the Euro zone are insolvent.

- Paul Singer

Work, Numbers, Euro, Promises

Stability is not the way of the world.

- Paul Singer

World, Way, Stability

So many people, including stark conservatives, have family members and close friends who are gay.

- Paul Singer

Close Friends, Including, Family Members

Securing for gays and lesbians the basic right to have their relationships and families recognized as part of a community makes all of our communities stronger.

- Paul Singer

Part, Lesbians, Gays, Communities

There is no more reason to believe that Bitcoin will stand the test of time than that governments will protect the value of government-created money, although Bitcoin is newer, and we always look at babies with hope.

- Paul Singer

Reason, Test, Always, Bitcoin

It is a very bad idea for governments to create arbitrary and unfair outcomes, or outcomes resulting from the passions and whims of the government rather than from the law, just because they have the power to do so.

- Paul Singer

Law, Very, Whims, Resulting

Creating a regulatory system that reflects the modern-day realities of financial markets is not as difficult as it may appear.

- Paul Singer

System, Appear, Markets, Reflects

The building block of every community is family.

- Paul Singer

Community, Building Block, Block

A great deal of stupidity has chipped away at the massive advantages of Western civilization, which could terminally decline if it remains on the current path. But these problems can be solved - and swiftly - if the right leaders emerge.

- Paul Singer

Civilization, Deal, Away, Great Deal

'Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider that their own policies, which put the entire burden on central bankers to print money and drive up stock, bond and other asset prices, are actually exacerbating income and wealth disparity.

- Paul Singer

Income, Political Leaders, Disparity

While many of Mr. Obama's ideas warrant skepticism, conservative opposition to any expanded role for government is a mistake.

- Paul Singer

Mistake, Conservative, Role, Skepticism

The starting point of my career in money management in 1973-74 was the time of the only true bear market any living non-Japanese investor has seen in major markets. Equities, real estate, you name it, everyone got run over.

- Paul Singer

Career, Run, Got, Starting

'What am I missing?' is a much more important question than 'How cool am I?'

- Paul Singer

Important, Question, How, Missing

Today, even small entities that trade complex instruments or are granted sufficient leverage can threaten the global financial system.

- Paul Singer

Financial, Small, Leverage, Entities

Check out London, Manhattan, Aspen and East Hampton real estate prices, as well as high-end art prices, to see what the leading edge of hyperinflation could look like.

- Paul Singer

Art, London, Like, Aspen

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