“The wealthy have installed their slaves in the highest spheres of the ...” — Stephane Hessel Quote

“The wealthy have installed their slaves in the highest spheres of the state. The banks are privately owned. They are concerned solely with profits. They have no interest in the common good.”

“If you want to be a real human being - a real woman, a real man - you cannot tolerate things which put you to indignation, to outrage. You must stand up. I always say to people, 'Look around; look at what makes you unhappy, what makes you furious, and then engage yourself in some action.'”

“I've been tremendously lucky. I went through things that turned out wrong, and I got myself out of them.”

“If you punish the banks, all you are doing is reducing the banks' capital, which you want to increase, and punishing shareholders, who have done nothing wrong.”

“The threshold question: Will banks continue to exist? The answer is yes, because society will still need the two essential functions they provide: mobilization of capital from providers to users, and facilitation of payments for goods and services.”

“In capital we trust. Capital is our savior, our holy grail, our fountain of youth, or at least health, for banks.”