Thoughts of Banks Quotes in English
Quotes about banks in the English language frequently embody essential themes that resonate with concepts of trust, stability, and the profound significance of financial literacy. These thoughtfully crafted quotations encapsulate the fundamental role that banking plays not only in facilitating economic growth but also in enhancing personal finance management. The insights offered by notable figures in the financial world underscore the necessity of developing a savings habit and engaging in proactive financial planning for future endeavors. Such quotes highlight that a strong foundation in financial education is indispensable for making informed decisions regarding money.
Here’s a list of quotes about banks, with detailed meanings and examples to illustrate their context and significance:
1. "A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it." – Bob Hope
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Meaning: This humorous quote criticizes the strict lending policies of banks, suggesting that they are more willing to lend to those who are already financially secure rather than those in real need.
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Example: If a small business owner struggles to get a loan because they lack sufficient collateral, this quote might resonate, pointing out how banks sometimes favor clients with stable finances over those taking bigger risks.
2. "Banks have a vested interest in crisis because they generate profit from it." – Thomas Frank
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Meaning: This quote suggests that banks may benefit from financial instability, as crises can lead to higher demand for loans and higher interest rates.
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Example: During an economic downturn, a bank might charge higher fees or interest on loans, making the quote applicable by highlighting how banks sometimes profit from others' financial distress.
3. "Banks are an almost irresistible attraction for that element of our society which seeks unearned money." – J. Edgar Hoover
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Meaning: This quote suggests that people who look to acquire wealth without effort are drawn to banks, whether for fraudulent activities, speculation, or high-stakes trading.
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Example: In a case of bank fraud or a financial scandal, this quote points out that banks can attract both genuine investors and individuals seeking shortcuts to wealth.
4. "Banks are institutions to make people unhappy by making them poor." – Napoleon Bonaparte
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Meaning: This critical view suggests that banks contribute to people’s financial stress through debt and interest, leaving them poorer instead of wealthier.
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Example: Someone who feels burdened by bank loans or high credit card interest might relate to this quote, seeing how borrowing can sometimes feel like it drains wealth.
5. "The process by which banks create money is so simple that the mind is repelled." – John Kenneth Galbraith
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Meaning: This quote refers to the complex yet simple process of banks creating money through lending, which can be difficult to understand or even believe.
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Example: In learning about fractional-reserve banking, where banks lend out more than they hold in deposits, this quote illustrates the surprising ease with which banks "create" money.
6. "If banks hold too much power, it’s because they were given too much." – William Greider
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Meaning: This quote argues that banks’ influence is not self-made but granted by those in power, perhaps due to favorable regulations or government backing.
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Example: After a government bailout of big banks, this quote might highlight how regulatory decisions can sometimes empower banks beyond what seems fair or balanced.
7. "Good bankers, like good tea, can only be appreciated when they are in hot water." – J.K. Galbraith
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Meaning: This quote suggests that a bank or banker’s quality and resilience are revealed only in challenging situations, like during a financial crisis.
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Example: During an economic downturn, a responsible bank that helps clients manage debt or offers flexible payment options may be appreciated more, illustrating the quote’s point about “hot water” revealing true quality.
8. "If you owe your bank a hundred pounds, you have a problem. But if you owe a million, it has." – John Maynard Keynes
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Meaning: This quote humorously points out that debt can shift power dynamics. Small debts are the borrower’s problem, but very large debts become the lender’s problem, as the bank risks a major loss.
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Example: If a large company is unable to repay a massive loan, the bank may have to renegotiate to avoid default, demonstrating how big debt can put pressure back on the lender.
9. "Banks lend by creating credit. They create the means of payment out of nothing." – Ralph George Hawtrey
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Meaning: This quote explains that banks create money by issuing credit, which is essentially new money in the form of loans, not actual cash deposits.
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Example: When someone takes a loan, the bank “creates” money by adding the loan amount to the borrower’s account, even though it wasn’t there before, showcasing how banks “create credit” from limited deposits.
10. "A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain." – Robert Frost
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Meaning: This humorous observation implies that banks are willing to support clients when times are good but may withdraw or demand repayment during hard times.
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Example: In an economic downturn, when banks tighten lending standards, this quote highlights how banks may limit support when it’s needed most, such as by increasing interest rates or tightening loan terms.
11. "He who controls the money supply of a nation controls the nation." – James A. Garfield
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Meaning: This quote suggests that whoever holds power over a nation’s money (often banks or central banks) holds significant influence over the country itself.
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Example: When central banks adjust interest rates, it can affect the whole economy, illustrating this quote’s point about the power held by those who control financial resources.
12. "Banks should be more like doctors. They should only take money from people who can afford to lose it." – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
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Meaning: This quote suggests that banks should be cautious and responsible, lending only to those who can bear the risk of loss, similar to a doctor’s “do no harm” approach.
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Example: If a bank lends large sums to high-risk borrowers who can’t repay, this quote might argue that the bank acted irresponsibly, as it should have assessed the borrower’s ability to handle debt.
13. "The problem in this world is not that there are too many banks; it’s that there are too many banks that are too big." – Simon Johnson
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Meaning: This quote highlights the issue of "too big to fail" banks, suggesting that large, powerful banks pose a risk to the economy.
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Example: After a financial crisis where large banks require government bailouts, this quote emphasizes the potential instability caused by oversized institutions.
14. "Banks are the temples of America. This is a holy war. Our economy is our religion." – Giannina Braschi
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Meaning: This quote suggests that banks hold a central, almost sacred place in American society, as people deeply value the economy and financial growth.
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Example: In the U.S., where financial success is highly valued, this quote might illustrate how deeply ingrained financial institutions and banking practices are in the nation’s culture.
15. "Small banks are critical to America’s economy—they're the engines of growth in local communities." – Elizabeth Warren
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Meaning: This quote emphasizes the importance of community banks and local lenders in supporting small businesses and local economies, which drive overall economic health.
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Example: In a small town where a local bank funds many local businesses, this quote shows how community banks can be crucial in fostering economic resilience and local growth.
These quotes about banks offer perspectives on lending practices, the role of banks in society, and the power dynamics between banks and borrowers, illustrating both the potential benefits and criticisms of banking institutions. Each quote provides insight into different aspects of banking, from humor to finance ethics, regulation, and economic impact.
Moreover, numerous quotations draw attention to the vital importance of transparency and ethical practices within the banking sector. They emphasize that integrity and accountability should be at the forefront of banking operations, fostering a climate of trust between financial institutions and their clients. This emphasis on ethical conduct not only reassures customers but also underlines the wider societal responsibility banks have in nurturing a well-functioning economy.
These quotes serve as motivational reminders for individuals and businesses alike. They inspire a responsible approach to money management, urging people to be thoughtful and deliberate about their financial choices. By embracing these philosophies, individuals can cultivate a sustainable relationship with their finances, while businesses are encouraged to adopt practices that prioritize financial health and ethical responsibility. Ultimately, these reflections on banking instill a sense of empowerment, reminding us that sound financial practices are integral to achieving personal and collective prosperity.
Thought of the day Banks
I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe.
- Abraham Lincoln Thoughts
Money is a servant to politicians and the country. But, if the politicians and the country become the servant of the money, the politicians has failed. - Oliver Kemper |
Banks are to the economy what the heart is to the human body. They cycle necessary capital through the whole, and they are barely noticed until pressure, necessity, or crises. - Hendrith Smith |
It is not by augmenting the capital of the country, but by rendering a greater part of that capital active and productive than would otherwise be so, that the most judicious operations of banking can increase the industry of the country. Adam Smith |
Banks are nothing but old fashioned money lenders. They encourage you to borrow, to get in debt, and when you can't pay back the loan they take your home away. At least a money lender only breaks your legs. - Karl Wiggins |
It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning. - Henry Ford |
The bankers and financiers are badly overplaying their hands, again, and people are starting to catch on to the scam. Real wealth is tangible things produced with tangible effort. Loans made out of thin-air 'money' require no effort and are entirely ephemeral. But if those loans are used to acquire real ownership of real assets, then something has been exchanged for nothing and one party is getting screwed. - Chris Martenson |
Rather than justice for all, we are evolving into a system of justice for those who can afford it. We have banks that are not only too big to fail, but too big to be held accountable. - Joseph E. Stiglitz |
I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale. - Thomas Jefferson |
Everything predicted by the enemies of banks, in the beginning, is now coming to pass. We are to be ruined now by the deluge of bank paper. It is cruel that such revolutions in private fortunes should be at the mercy of avaricious adventurers, who, instead of employing their capital, if any they have, in manufactures, commerce, and other useful pursuits, make it an instrument to burden all the interchanges of property with their swindling profits, profits which are the price of no useful industry of theirs. - Thomas Jefferson |
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs. - Thomas Jefferson |
Bank Quotes List and Sayings |
I have always been afraid of banks. - Andrew Jackson |
When the paper money goes the banks will become the gods of man. - Bank Quotes by Anthony T. Hincks |
Banking is a branch of the information business. - Walter Wriston Quotation |
Well, banks are the biggest mafia, you know, except for the government of course. - Bank Quotes in English by Kenneth Eade |
You don't make money from peace. You make money from wars! - A Quotation From Anthony T.Hincks |
A bank is but honesty with a premium. At least this is what it is supposed to be. - Lamine Pearlheart |
At its core, banking is not simply about profit, but about personal relationships. Felix Rohatyn |
Banks lend by creating credit. They create the means of payment out of nothing. - Ralph George Hawtrey |
Nobody knows banking better than I do. Donald Trump |
No one has a greater asset for his business than a man’s pride in his work. - Mary Parker Follet |
The greedy loathe wars, but not as much as they love profit. - Anthony T.Hincks |
Someone has to borrow every dollar we have in circulation, cash or credit. - Robert W. Hemphill |
Banking is very good business if you don't do anything dumb. Warren Buffett |
There's more honor in investment management than in investment banking. Charlie Munger |
The process by which banks create money is so simple that the mind is repelled. John Kenneth Galbraith |
Whoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce. - James A. Garfield |
The Federal Reserve bank buys government bonds without one penny. - John C. Danforth |
I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe. - Abraham Lincoln * |
They explained to me that the bank cannot lend money to poor people because these people are not creditworthy. Muhammad Yunus |
The bank hath benefit of interest on all moneys which it creates out of nothing. William Paterson |
The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender. Proverbs 22:7 |
Bank Sayings in English |
It is easier to rob by setting up a bank than by holding up a bank clerk. - Bertolt Brecht |
The Central Bank is an institution of the most deadly hostility existing against the principles and form of our Constitution. - Thomas Jefferson |
A banking system is an act of faith: it survives only for as long as people believe it will. Michael Lewis |
Good bankers, like good tea, can only be appreciated when they are in hot water. - Jaffar Hussein |
The large banking interests were deeply interested in the World War because of the wide opportunities for large profits. William Jennings Bryan |
So I went to the bank and proposed that they lend money to the poor people. The bankers almost fell over. Muhammad Yunus |
The privilege of creating and issuing money is not only the supreme prerogative of government, but it is the government's greatest creative opportunity. - Abraham Lincoln |
Banks do not create money for the public good. They are businesses owned by private shareholders. Their purpose is to make a profit. - John Rogers |
A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining but wants it back the minute it begins to rain. Mark Twain |
A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain. Robert Frost |
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. - Thomas Jefferson |
Banking may well be a career from which no man really recovers. John Kenneth Galbraith |
I do not think you can trust bankers to control themselves. They are like heroin addicts. - Charlie Munger |
The banking institutions, my friends, are sailing under false colours. They are running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. And we should never forget it. - Karl Wiggins |
With a group of bankers I always had the feeling that success was measured by the extent one gave nothing away. Lord Longford |
If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank. Woody Allen |
Always be nice to bankers. Always be nice to pension fund managers. Always be nice to the media. In that order. - John Gotti |
Because bankers measure their self-worth in money, and pay themselves a lot of it, they think they're fine fellows and don't need to explain themselves. James Buchan |
Those who think banks and governments are making them poor haven't seen the whole picture. Poverty is the act of trusting their system. Robin Sacredfire |
Banks are an almost irresistible attraction for that element of our society which seeks unearned money. J. Edgar Hoover |
Everyday is a bank account, and time is our currency. No one is rich, no one is poor, we've got 24 hours each. - Christopher Rice |
Giving the banks free interest loans is like the government subsidizing the banks. That's crazy! - Kenneth Eade |
There are two things that can disrupt business in this country. One is War, and the other is a meeting of the Federal Reserve Bank. Will Rogers |
Central banks don't have divine wisdom. They try to do the best analysis they can and must be prepared to stand or fall by the quality of that analysis. - Mary Kay Ash |
We're sorry. It's not us. It's the monster. The bank isn't a man. The bank isn't like a man. Yes, but the bank is only made of men. - John Steinbeck |
Don't trust banks, trust math. - Santosh Kalwar Download or Share |
A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it. - Banks Quotes by Bob Hope Download or Share |
Drive-in banks were established so most of the cars today could see their real owners. - E. Joseph Cossman Download or Share |
I don't have bank account, because I don't know my mother's maiden name. - Paula Poundstone Download or Share |
We use Halloween to scare the kids and bankers to scare the adults. - Anthony T Hincks Download or Share |
If we behaved like banks we woluld be charged with fraud. - Jacque Fresco Download or Share |
Good Banking is produced not by good laws, but by good bankers. - Hartley Withers Download or Share |
A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain. - Banks Quote by Mark Twain Download or Share |
In the past people used to rob banks, now the banks rob the people. - David Alejandro Fearnhead Download or Share |
Bank Quotation in English |
This is the twilight of the banks. It would be a more cheerful spectacle if we could envision the dawn of the institutions that will replace them. Martin Mayer |
Because bankers measure their self-worth in money, and pay themselves a lot of it, they think they're fine fellows and don't need to explain themselves. James Buchan |
Today, if you look at financial systems around the globe, more than half the population of the world out of six billion people, more than three billion. Do not qualify to take out a loan from a bank. This is a shame. Muhammad Yunus |
Those that think banks and governments are making them poor haven't seen the whole picture. Poverty is the act of trusting their system. - Robin Sacredfire Thoughts |
Drive-in banks were established so most of the cars today could see their real owners. - E. Joseph Cossman |
Bank failures are caused by depositors who don't deposit enough money to cover losses due to mismanagement. Dan Quayle |
We're sorry. It's not us. It's the monster. The bank isn't a man. The bank isn't like a man. Yes, but the bank is only made of men. John Steinbeck |
I hate banks. They do nothing positive for anybody except take care of themselves. They're first in with their fees and first out when there’s trouble. Harvey Goldsmith |
My bank must stop trying to sell me identity theft protection. You know why I expect you to protect my money? Because you're a bank. - Bill Maher |
The sound banker, alas! is not one who foresees danger and avoids it, but one who, when he is ruined, is ruined in a conventional and orthodox way along with his fellows, so that no one can really blame him. - John Maynard Keynes |
Investment banking is not a business; it is a personal service where bankers work hand in hand with their clients. And it is a service that must not simply be about making bigger and bigger deals that reap rewards for only a small group of executives. - Felix Rohatyn |
I hesitate to deposit money in a bank. I am afraid I shall never dare to take it out again. When you go to confession and entrust your sins to the safe-keeping of the priest, do you ever come back for them? - Jean Baudrillard |
The fear among bankers is that there’s this guy out there, and he can do whatever he wants, and nobody can stop him, I would be afraid too if I were a bank. - Dick Bove |
Advances in digital banking will not eliminate the branch, they will allow for more creative ways to help clients achieve financial wellbeing. - Hendrith Smith |
There are people in Europe that struggled during an entire life to save as much as possible in banks that bankrupted and left them homeless. - Robin Sacredfire |
