--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Markets shouldn't be moving in a straight…" description: "\"Markets shouldn't be moving in a straight line.\" — James P. Gorman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/james-p-gorman-14001_customer_markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straigh_2846457.png" --- # Markets shouldn't be moving in a straight line. ![“Markets shouldn't be moving in a straight line.” quote by James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/james-p-gorman-14001_customer_markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straigh_2846457.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/james-p-gorman-14001_customer_markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straigh_2846457.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/james-p-gorman-14001_customer_markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straigh_2846457.png) > “Markets shouldn't be moving in a straight line.” [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Market movements are rarely linear; they reflect complex, fluctuating forces. **In simple terms:** Markets are not straight lines. Key Takeaway Expect and market behavior. Themes economics finance uncertainty analysis strategy Mood analytical cautious Type financial strategic When to use this quote - investment planning - policy making - economic forecasting - risk assessment Key Concepts market dynamics non‑linear trends risk management Questions to Reflect On - How can investors prepare for non‑linear market shifts? - What tools help detect market volatility? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify market predictability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/line/) [Markets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/markets/) [Markets Shouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/markets-shouldn-1807807/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Moving Straight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-straight-3761117/) [Shouldn Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shouldn-moving-3761118/) [Straight line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-line/) ## Related quotes > [Most people live their lives looking straight ahead. Moving in a straight line. Eyes xed on their golden dreams. Well thats how it seems...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-elektricity/most-people-live-their-lives-looking-straight-ahead-moving-in-a/) [London Elektricity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-elektricity/) > [“It also meant that whenever a body is not acted on by any force, it will keep on moving in a straight line at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/it-also-meant-that-whenever-a-body-is-not-acted-on-by-any-force-it/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [If you put tariffs in place, it creates inflation. If you put inflation in place, you have to raise interest rates. You raise interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-browder/if-you-put-tariffs-in-place-it-creates-inflation-if-you-put-inflation/) [Bill Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-browder/) > [Revenge is never a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattori-hanzo/revenge-is-never-a-straight-line/) [Hattori Hanzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattori-hanzo/) > [My mother was a restorer, she repaired broken things. I don't do that. I destroy things. I cannot go the straight line. I must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/my-mother-was-a-restorer-she-repaired-broken-things-i-don-t-do-that-i/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/) > [Nowhere is it ordained that history moves in a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nowhere-is-it-ordained-that-history-moves-in-a-straight-line/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [How hard can it be to walk up and down in a straight line? You just need to put one step in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edie-campbell/how-hard-can-it-be-to-walk-up-and-down-in-a-straight-line-you-just/) [Edie Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edie-campbell/) > [“The straight line will take you only to death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-straight-line-will-take-you-only-to-death/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I can't draw a straight line to save my life. I just can't draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-courtney/i-can-t-draw-a-straight-line-to-save-my-life-i-just-can-t-draw/) [Joel Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-courtney/) > [There's no straight line to progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/there-s-no-straight-line-to-progress/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“Was there a straight line on earth before we drew one?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-theroux/was-there-a-straight-line-on-earth-before-we-drew-one/) [Marcel Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-theroux/) > [“The way to success is not a straight line segment. It's a dotted line with little packs of failure filling the potholes of broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-way-to-success-is-not-a-straight-line-segment-it-s-a-dotted-line/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I can't draw a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-blue/i-can-t-draw-a-straight-line/) [Josh Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-blue/) > [“A line only gets grace when it curves, you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/a-line-only-gets-grace-when-it-curves-you-know/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/look-at-jane-austen-her-characters-derive-in-a-reasonably-straight/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) ## More by James P. Gorman > [I think anybody who says they don't care about being liked is lying. I care if my dog waves its tail when I come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/i-think-anybody-who-says-they-don-t-care-about-being-liked-is-lying-i/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [Supply and demand eventually rebalance. We've seen this again and again and again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/supply-and-demand-eventually-rebalance-we-ve-seen-this-again-and/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [I'm one of 10 children, and all my brothers call me Jim. And all my sisters... well, they call me something even more affectionate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/i-m-one-of-10-children-and-all-my-brothers-call-me-jim-and-all-my/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [If you consider the contribution of plumbing to human life, the other sciences fade into insignificance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/if-you-consider-the-contribution-of-plumbing-to-human-life-the-other/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [The threshold question: Will banks continue to exist? The answer is yes, because society will still need the two essential functions they provide: mobilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/the-threshold-question-will-banks-continue-to-exist-the-answer-is-yes/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [To enable large U.S. banks to support their clients better, the Volcker rule should be clarified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/to-enable-large-u-s-banks-to-support-their-clients-better-the-volcker/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [If you underperform for your owners, eventually they pick up their bat and ball and go home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/if-you-underperform-for-your-owners-eventually-they-pick-up-their-bat/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [That is what made America great: that everyone had the opportunity to be a winner. And I think it's still there. I'm certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/that-is-what-made-america-great-that-everyone-had-the-opportunity-to/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [Cats don't bark and act brave when they see something small in fur or feathers, they kill it. Dogs tend to bravado. They're braggarts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/cats-don-t-bark-and-act-brave-when-they-see-something-small-in-fur-or/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [Every now and then, markets behave like schoolchildren. They overreact, they run around like crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/every-now-and-then-markets-behave-like-schoolchildren-they-overreact/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [I'm not that interested in just being around powerful people for the sake of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/i-m-not-that-interested-in-just-being-around-powerful-people-for-the/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [Flyfishing, which has a vaguely mystical aura, is a lot like work. I'm a frenetic flyfisherman. I wade up and down streams, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/flyfishing-which-has-a-vaguely-mystical-aura-is-a-lot-like-work-i-m-a/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [Banking's a sexy industry! Creative - it's dynamic, it's global, it's fast-moving, you bring a lot of talented people together!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/banking-s-a-sexy-industry-creative-it-s-dynamic-it-s-global-it-s-fast/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [As much as the banking system may not be terribly popular, it is an essential part of the economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/as-much-as-the-banking-system-may-not-be-terribly-popular-it-is-an/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [You will not see, in my career, the kind of returns this industry had in 2005 and 2006 for a very simple reason -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/you-will-not-see-in-my-career-the-kind-of-returns-this-industry-had/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) [Explore all 48 James P. Gorman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) ## More Customer quotes > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) [Michael Fishman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fishman/) > [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/) [Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/) > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/) [Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/) > [Damn inflation, full speed ahead,' Greenspan has said in both action and word. I think an investor should believe him and invest accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gross/damn-inflation-full-speed-ahead-greenspan-has-said-in-both-action-and/) [Bill Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gross/) > [“When companies get big, they devote most of their care and feeding to the business that got them big. This is as it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/when-companies-get-big-they-devote-most-of-their-care-and-feeding-to/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) [Browse all 9,257 Customer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Markets shouldn't be moving in a straight line.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James P. Gorman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straight-line/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Customer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straight-line/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/james-p-gorman-14001_customer_markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straigh_2846457.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/james-p-gorman-14001_customer_markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straigh_2846457.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7a/james-p-gorman-14001_customer_markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straigh_2846457.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Markets shouldn't be moving in a straight line.” — James P. Gorman", "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": "James P. Gorman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Markets shouldn't be moving in a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straight-line/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/markets-shouldn-t-be-moving-in-a-straight-line/#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 } } ] } ```