Enron Quotes

The collapse of Enron was devastating to tens of thousands of people and shook the public's confidence in corporate America.

Robert Mueller

Confidence, America, People

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We will not rest until the wooden stake is punched through the heart of the Enron lawsuit against us.

Maria Cantwell

Heart, Enron Scandal, Stakes

82 Copy quote
In the case of Enron, we balance our positions all the time.

Kenneth Lay

Balance, Economy, Cases

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I think that the failures of Enron and WorldCom and other companies are partially failures of investors to recognize companies that are selling for a thousand times nothing, but chances are they may be worth only that.

Arthur Levitt Jr

Thinking, May, Chance

74 Copy quote
But the most important thing is, Enron did not cause the California crisis.

Kenneth Lay

California, Important, Causes

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But indeed a market like California is not good for Enron.

Kenneth Lay

California

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Bush began helping Enron in the eighties.

Paul Begala

Helping, Eighty

78 Copy quote
I take responsibility for what happened at Enron, both good and bad. But I cannot take responsibility for criminal conduct that I was unaware of.

Kenneth Lay

Mistake, Responsibility, Criminals

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Because the sad fact is that the Enron Corporation and others manipulated with unfortunately great effect the energy market in the West Coast starting in 2000.

Jay Inslee

Enron Scandal, Energy, West Coast

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The collapse of Enron and the subsequent collapse of Arthur Andersen were tremendous tragedies. But as I stated at the time of my indictment on July 8, 2004, failure does not equate to a crime.

Kenneth Lay

Failure, July, Tragedy

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You know Texas is - even more now that Enron has bit the dust - it's held up on the back of small businesses.

Rachel Griffiths

Texas, Dust, Small Business

Biography/Personal Quotes, www.imdb.com.

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Creative accounting is an absolute curse to a civilization. One could argue that double-entry bookkeeping was one of history's great advances. Using accounting for fraud and folly is a disgrace. In a democracy, it often takes a scandal to trigger reform. Enron was the most obvious example of a business culture gone wrong in a long, long time.

Charlie Munger

Enron Scandal, Civilization, Long

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Ken Lay has, does and will continue to accept responsibility for the fall of Enron. He was the man at the controls. But failure is not a crime.

Michael Ramsey

Fall, Responsibility, Men

64 Copy quote
But I can't take responsibility for criminal conduct of somebody inside the company.

Kenneth Lay

Responsibility, Criminals, Economy

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You don't want another Enron? Here's your law: If a company, can't explain, in one sentence, what it does... it's illegal.

Lewis Black

Law, Doe, Want

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The Enron scandal calls into question the integrity of the entire capitalist system, which previously we assumed was based on honest, straightforward greed.

Joel Achenbach

Integrity, Enron Scandal, Greed

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A corporation like Enron is a person with a legal identity and no ethical accountability.

Doug Berry

Accountability, Identity, Corporations

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Unlike top management at Enron, exemplary leaders reward dissent. They encourage it. They understand that, whatever momentary discomfort they experience as a result of being told they might be wrong, it is more than offset by the fact that the information will help them make better decisions.

Warren G. Bennis

Top Management, Decision, Leader

Warren G. Bennis, Patricia Ward Biederman (2009). “The Essential Bennis”, p.182, John Wiley & Sons

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Former Enron founder Ken Lay and CEO Jeffrey Skilling found guilty in the Enron case. Ken Lay is so guilty I'm surprised people aren't calling him Congressman Ken Lay. Wait 'till these guys find out in prison that insider trading has a whole new meaning.

Jay Leno

People, Guy, Waiting

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Enron and 9/11 marked the end of an era of individual freedom and the beginning of personal responsibility.

Jeffrey R. Immelt

Responsibility, Eras, Individual

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For business to survive over a long period, it needs to be contributing to society and people's well-being. Otherwise, who's going to want it? Otherwise you end up like Enron or some of these other companies.

Charles Koch

Long, People, Needs

"Full interview: Charles Koch". "Corner Office" with Kai Ryssdal, www.marketplace.org. October 21, 2015.

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The White House again refused to turn over discussions Vice President Cheney had with Enron officials over energy policy. Cheney said if he had to disclose every time some business donated a ton of money then came in to write its own policy to govern itself, he wouldn't get any work done.

Dennis Miller

Writing, White, House

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Companies like Enron have learned that small investments in endowing chairs, sponsoring research programs or hiring moonlighting professors can return big payoffs in generating books, reports, articles, testimony and other materials to push for and rationalize public policy positions that damage the public interest but benefit corporate bottomlines.

Ralph Nader

Book, Research, Benefits

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In the Enron scandal, whistleblower Sherron Watkins is now calling herself Enron Brokovitch. She testified Ken Lay was duped by the other executives. Oh, yeah. When is the last time you got duped and made $100 million?

Jay Leno

Enron Scandal, Calling, Whistleblowers

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So Merrill Lynch has launched its first campaign in years to advertise the accomplishments of its investment banking business. The ads feature things like Merrill's recapitalization of Sierra Pacific. I guess including "helping Enron achieve its earnings goals in 1999" might be a little awkward given that Merrill Lynch bankers are currently on trial in Houston for that "accomplishment."

Bethany McLean

Years, Accomplishment, Goal

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