--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If large financial institutions can break…" description: "\"If large financial institutions can break the law and accumulate million in profits - and, if they get caught, settle by paying out of those profits - ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/elizabeth-warren-879_accumulate_if-large-financial-institutions-can-brea_397091.png" --- # If large financial institutions can break the law and… ![“If large financial institutions can break the law and accumulate million in profits - and, if they get caught, settle by paying out of those profits - they do not have much incentive to follow the law.” quote by Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/elizabeth-warren-879_accumulate_if-large-financial-institutions-can-brea_397091.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/elizabeth-warren-879_accumulate_if-large-financial-institutions-can-brea_397091.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/elizabeth-warren-879_accumulate_if-large-financial-institutions-can-brea_397091.png) > “If large financial institutions can break the law and accumulate million in profits - and, if they get caught, settle by paying out of those profits - they do not have much incentive to follow the law.” [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Large banks profit from breaking laws, paying fines from those profits, reducing deterrence. **In simple terms:** Banks profit from illegal actions and pay fines from those profits. Key Takeaway Reform penalties to exceed illegal gains. Themes financial regulation law enforcement corporate ethics Mood critical urgent Type political policy. When to use this quote - legislation - compliance - public advocacy - corporate governance Key Concepts economics policy justice Questions to Reflect On - How can penalties be structured to truly deter misconduct? - What role should public oversight play? A Different Perspective Fines may be too low to change behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accumulate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accumulate/) [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Caught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught/) [Financial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financial/) [Financial institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financial-institutions/) [Follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Incentive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentive/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large/) [Large Financial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-financial-631787/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Million](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million/) [Million Profits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-profits-3568826/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Paying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying/) [Paying Profits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-profits-3568827/) [Profits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profits/) [Profits Incentive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profits-incentive-3568828/) [Settle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settle/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) ## Related quotes > [ I believe that the general growth in large \[financial\] institutions have occurred in the context of an underlying structure of markets in which many… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/i-believe-that-the-general-growth-in-large-financial-institutions/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Large financial institutions in this country will always play a role that is essential to our economic growth. But they must only be permitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/large-financial-institutions-in-this-country-will-always-play-a-role/) [Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/) > [“Free markets are necessary to promote long-term growth, but they are not self-regulating, particularly when it comes to banks and other large financial institutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-fukuyama/free-markets-are-necessary-to-promote-long-term-growth-but-they-are/) [Francis Fukuyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-fukuyama/) > [Some of the largest financial institutions can build a profit model on tricking people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/some-of-the-largest-financial-institutions-can-build-a-profit-model/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [Accountability for the largest financial institutions on Wall Street is the bedrock for a strong economy. Hard-working families and honest businesses cannot survive in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/accountability-for-the-largest-financial-institutions-on-wall-street/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I do not understand how it is that financial institutions could think that they could take taxpayer money and then turn around and act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-do-not-understand-how-it-is-that-financial-institutions-could-think/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [There's been such a sense that there's one set of rules for trillion-dollar financial institutions and a different set for all the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/there-s-been-such-a-sense-that-there-s-one-set-of-rules-for-trillion/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I think that if you're going after large banks and large financial companies to try to make sure people are being treated fairly, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cordray/i-think-that-if-you-re-going-after-large-banks-and-large-financial/) [Richard Cordray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cordray/) > [“Hollywood was merely a specialized bank—a consortium of large financial entities that hired talent, almost always for a flat rate, ordered that talent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/hollywood-was-merely-a-specialized-bank-a-consortium-of-large/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [I'm a believer. I'm one of the few standing before you today from a large financial services company that has not given up on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-johnson/i-m-a-believer-i-m-one-of-the-few-standing-before-you-today-from-a/) [Abigail Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-johnson/) > [I thought a company that provides mutual-fund information could be a great business, because you could construct an effective moat by building large financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mansueto/i-thought-a-company-that-provides-mutual-fund-information-could-be-a/) [Joe Mansueto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mansueto/) > [Limiting the destructive risk-taking by large financial firms and banks which are 'too big to fail' is needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharan-burrow/limiting-the-destructive-risk-taking-by-large-financial-firms-and/) [Sharan Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharan-burrow/) > [When a large financial institution is allowed to fail, you put in jeopardy hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-angel-gurria/when-a-large-financial-institution-is-allowed-to-fail-you-put-in/) [Jose Angel Gurria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-angel-gurria/) > [All safe deposit boxes in banks or financial institutions have been sealed... and may only be opened in the presence of an agent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/all-safe-deposit-boxes-in-banks-or-financial-institutions-have-been/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [I think something that forces financial institutions to write down underwater mortgages, I think, would be a sensible thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-romer/i-think-something-that-forces-financial-institutions-to-write-down/) [Christina Romer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-romer/) ## More by Elizabeth Warren > [Every time the U.S. government makes a low-cost loan to someone, it's investing in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/every-time-the-u-s-government-makes-a-low-cost-loan-to-someone-it-s/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [“For capitalism to work, we all need one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/for-capitalism-to-work-we-all-need-one-another/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [“The single best predictor that a family would go bankrupt was if they had a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-single-best-predictor-that-a-family-would-go-bankrupt-was-if-they/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [ I can remember riding in the car with \[my daughter\] Amelia, when she was very small, and we'd talk about money the same way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-can-remember-riding-in-the-car-with-my-daughter-amelia-when-she-was/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [That's how we build the economy of the future. An economy with more jobs and less debt, we root it in fairness. We grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/that-s-how-we-build-the-economy-of-the-future-an-economy-with-more/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [Homeowners refinance their loans when interest rates go down. Businesses refinance their loans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/homeowners-refinance-their-loans-when-interest-rates-go-down/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [There are a lot of things that people say about Hillary Clinton. But nobody says that she doesn't know how to throw a punch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/there-are-a-lot-of-things-that-people-say-about-hillary-clinton-but/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I don't think anyone went the polls and said, 'I am casting my vote to make sure that Wall Street has better chances to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-don-t-think-anyone-went-the-polls-and-said-i-am-casting-my-vote-to/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [With post offices and postal workers already on the ground, USPS could partner with banks to make a critical difference for millions of Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/with-post-offices-and-postal-workers-already-on-the-ground-usps-could/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [We should stop having a conversation about cutting Social Security a little bit or a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/we-should-stop-having-a-conversation-about-cutting-social-security-a/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > ['Middle class' used to be synonymous with secure, with steady, with boring, because middle-class people were people who were pretty much safe from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/middle-class-used-to-be-synonymous-with-secure-with-steady-with/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [You can put handcuffs on people who push the envelope. When they break the law, they deserve to have handcuffs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/you-can-put-handcuffs-on-people-who-push-the-envelope-when-they-break/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [The broken consumer credit market had to be repaired by making sure that consumers had the right information and could use it effectively. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-broken-consumer-credit-market-had-to-be-repaired-by-making-sure/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [“When you have no real power, go public—really public. The public is where the real power is. Those”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/when-you-have-no-real-power-go-public-really-public-the-public-is/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) [Explore all 342 Elizabeth Warren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) ## More Accumulate quotes > [It's interesting how sleepwalking in a certain way becomes an accumulation of your outside stimuli that's actually there and what's happening in your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/it-s-interesting-how-sleepwalking-in-a-certain-way-becomes-an/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [Ageing is, simply and clearly, the accumulation of damage in the body. That's all that ageing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/ageing-is-simply-and-clearly-the-accumulation-of-damage-in-the-body/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [The more storage you have, the more stuff you accumulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-stewart/the-more-storage-you-have-the-more-stuff-you-accumulate/) [Alexis Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-stewart/) > [What is negotiation but the accumulation of small lies leading to advantage?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/what-is-negotiation-but-the-accumulation-of-small-lies-leading-to/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [“A little here and a little there will always accumulate, so why be surprised when steady, small steps take you to great places?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/a-little-here-and-a-little-there-will-always-accumulate-so-why-be/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [The question becomes not just how to accumulate more, but how to covet less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/the-question-becomes-not-just-how-to-accumulate-more-but-how-to-covet/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [We've accumulated a lot of things over the years and many things from our grandmother. Hopefully it'll be all right. I really don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-fields/we-ve-accumulated-a-lot-of-things-over-the-years-and-many-things-from/) [Dorothy Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-fields/) > [Each of my novels has come from a different place, and the processes are not always entirely conscious. I have lived off and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/each-of-my-novels-has-come-from-a-different-place-and-the-processes/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [You can't accumulate anything, because anything you get you have to give away. We all know this. We watch our bodies go through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/you-can-t-accumulate-anything-because-anything-you-get-you-have-to/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“How long should one accumulate material things? As long as they do not become a burden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/how-long-should-one-accumulate-material-things-as-long-as-they-do-not/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [One precedent creates another and they soon accumulate and constitute law. What yesterday was a fact, today is doctrine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junius/one-precedent-creates-another-and-they-soon-accumulate-and-constitute/) [Junius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junius/) > [Our culture is hung up on and overemphasises what can be derived from material objects. I think this is something quite new, over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tino-sehgal/our-culture-is-hung-up-on-and-overemphasises-what-can-be-derived-from/) [Tino Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tino-sehgal/) > [Over time, you accumulate a lot of life material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/over-time-you-accumulate-a-lot-of-life-material/) [Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/) > [Basically, the body does have a vast amount of inbuilt anti-ageing machinery; it's just not 100% comprehensive, so it allows a small number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/basically-the-body-does-have-a-vast-amount-of-inbuilt-anti-ageing/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [Praise is nothing that accumulates. Praise is a sequence, especially if you've toiled for a long time. Praise does not pile up. So in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/praise-is-nothing-that-accumulates-praise-is-a-sequence-especially-if/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) [Browse all 86 Accumulate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accumulate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If large financial institutions can break the law and accumulate million in profits - and, if they get caught, settle by paying out of those profits - they do not have much incentive to follow the law.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Warren" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/if-large-financial-institutions-can-break-the-law-and-accumulate/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accumulate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/if-large-financial-institutions-can-break-the-law-and-accumulate/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/elizabeth-warren-879_accumulate_if-large-financial-institutions-can-brea_397091.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/elizabeth-warren-879_accumulate_if-large-financial-institutions-can-brea_397091.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/elizabeth-warren-879_accumulate_if-large-financial-institutions-can-brea_397091.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If large financial institutions can break the law and accumulate million in profits - and, if they get…” — Elizabeth Warren", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elizabeth Warren", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If large financial institutions can break...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/if-large-financial-institutions-can-break-the-law-and-accumulate/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/if-large-financial-institutions-can-break-the-law-and-accumulate/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```