--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you start to confuse Freddie Mac…" description: "\"When you start to confuse Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae and Fannie Mae with members of your family, and you remember 2,000 stock symbols but forget the child..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/peter-lynch-2902_chance_when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sa_2470332.png" --- # When you start to confuse Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae and… ![“When you start to confuse Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae and Fannie Mae with members of your family, and you remember 2,000 stock symbols but forget the children's birthdays, there's a good chance you've become too wrapped up in your work.” quote by Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/peter-lynch-2902_chance_when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sa_2470332.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/peter-lynch-2902_chance_when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sa_2470332.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/peter-lynch-2902_chance_when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sa_2470332.png) > “When you start to confuse Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae and Fannie Mae with members of your family, and you remember 2,000 stock symbols but forget the children's birthdays, there's a good chance you've become too wrapped up in your work.” [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Confusing finance with personal life and neglecting relationships signals over‑immersion in work. **In simple terms:** Mixing work with family shows work‑life imbalance. Key Takeaway Set clear boundaries between work and personal life. Themes work‑life balance priorities focus Mood concerned motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - family time management - stress reduction Key Concepts financial obsession personal neglect Questions to Reflect On - What personal priorities are you neglecting? - How can you create work‑life boundaries? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on work can cause burnout and strained relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Our family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-family/) [Symbols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbols/) ## Related quotes > [These two entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not facing any kind of financial crisis. The more people exaggerate these problems, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-frank/these-two-entities-fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-are-not-facing-any-kind/) [Barney Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-frank/) > [There is plenty of blame to go around for the U.S. housing bubble, but not much of it belongs to Fannie Mae and Freddie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/there-is-plenty-of-blame-to-go-around-for-the-u-s-housing-bubble-but/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [We do not have a crisis at Freddie Mac, and particularly Fannie Mae, under the outstanding leadership of Frank Raines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-waters/we-do-not-have-a-crisis-at-freddie-mac-and-particularly-fannie-mae/) [Maxine Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-waters/) > [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - two bloated and corrupt government-sponsored programs - contributed heavily to the crisis.In order to prevent another crisis, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-two-bloated-and-corrupt-government/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [Well, Mark, I led the charge for five or six years to get reforms for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I was chairman of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-watts/well-mark-i-led-the-charge-for-five-or-six-years-to-get-reforms-for/) [J. C. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-watts/) > [These two entities—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—are not facing any kind of financial crisis,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-frank/these-two-entities-fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-are-not-facing-any-kind-2/) [Barney Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-frank/) > [“For that purpose, partly as the result of Ranieri’s persistent lobbying, two new facilities had sprung up in the federal government alongside Ginnie Mae.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/for-that-purpose-partly-as-the-result-of-ranieri-s-persistent/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [Fixing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in isolation, without looking at the big picture, would be short-sighted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-mclean/fixing-fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-in-isolation-without-looking-at-the/) [Bethany McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-mclean/) > [Although not well known outside Wall Street, Freddie Mac and its corporate cousin, Fannie Mae, are two of the world's largest financial institutions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/although-not-well-known-outside-wall-street-freddie-mac-and-its/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [Congress created Fannie Mae in 1938 and Freddie Mac in 1970. For many years, these institutions prudently pursued their core mission of enhancing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/congress-created-fannie-mae-in-1938-and-freddie-mac-in-1970-for-many/) [Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/) > [Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, although they're not officially debt of the federal government, they are off-balance-sheet debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thune/freddie-mac-and-fannie-mae-although-they-re-not-officially-debt-of/) [John Thune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thune/) > [The government-sponsored institution Fannie Mae, when I look at its risks, seems to be sitting on a barrel of dynamite, vulnerable to the slightest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/the-government-sponsored-institution-fannie-mae-when-i-look-at-its/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [RE: GSEs like Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae: "creditors will continue to underprice the risk-taking of these financial institutions, overfund them, and fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-h-stern/re-gses-like-freddie-mac-fannie-mae-creditors-will-continue-to/) Gary H. Stern > [And so Fannie Mae produces very strong results for investors in - when interest rates are high and when interest rates are low, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-raines/and-so-fannie-mae-produces-very-strong-results-for-investors-in-when/) [Franklin Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-raines/) > [One third of the $15 trillion of mortgages in existence in 2008 are owned, or securitized by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/one-third-of-the-15-trillion-of-mortgages-in-existence-in-2008-are/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) ## More by Peter Lynch > [If a picture is worth a thousand words, in business, so is a number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/if-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-in-business-so-is-a-number/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [“The old Wall Street adage "never invest in anything that eats or needs repairs" may apply to racehorses, but it's malarkey when it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/the-old-wall-street-adage-never-invest-in-anything-that-eats-or-needs/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [You just don't know when you can find the bottom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/you-just-don-t-know-when-you-can-find-the-bottom/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [I think you have to learn that there's a company behind every stock, and that there's only one real reason why stocks go up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/i-think-you-have-to-learn-that-there-s-a-company-behind-every-stock/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [If you're prepared to invest in a company, then you ought to be able to explain why in simple language that a fifth grader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/if-you-re-prepared-to-invest-in-a-company-then-you-ought-to-be-able/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [“In other words, I continue to think like an amateur as frequently as possible. GOING IT ALONE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/in-other-words-i-continue-to-think-like-an-amateur-as-frequently-as/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [Absent a lot of surprises, stocks are relatively predictable over twenty years. As to whether they're going to be higher or lower in two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/absent-a-lot-of-surprises-stocks-are-relatively-predictable-over/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [A lot of people got in at the wrong time. A lot of people did very well and some people said, "This is it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/a-lot-of-people-got-in-at-the-wrong-time-a-lot-of-people-did-very/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [All you need for a lifetime of successful investing is a few big winners, and the pluses from those will overwhelm the minuses from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/all-you-need-for-a-lifetime-of-successful-investing-is-a-few-big/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [Owning stocks is like having children - don't get involved with more than you can handle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/owning-stocks-is-like-having-children-don-t-get-involved-with-more/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [When you sell in desperation, you always sell cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/when-you-sell-in-desperation-you-always-sell-cheap/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [“Remember, things are never clear until it’s too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/remember-things-are-never-clear-until-it-s-too-late/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [Long-term investing has gotten so popular, it's easier to admit you're a crack addict than to admit you're a short-term investor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/long-term-investing-has-gotten-so-popular-it-s-easier-to-admit-you-re/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [Don't bottom fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/don-t-bottom-fish/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [It would be wonderful if we could avoid the setbacks with timely exits, but nobody has figured out how to predict them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/it-would-be-wonderful-if-we-could-avoid-the-setbacks-with-timely/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) [Explore all 146 Peter Lynch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) ## More Chance quotes > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/) [Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/) > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/) Alejandro Taubas > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/) [Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/) > [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/) [Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/) > [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) [Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you start to confuse Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae and Fannie Mae with members of your family, and you remember 2,000 stock symbols but forget the children's birthdays, there's a good chance you've become too wrapped up in your work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Lynch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sallie-mae-and-fannie-mae-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sallie-mae-and-fannie-mae-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/peter-lynch-2902_chance_when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sa_2470332.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/peter-lynch-2902_chance_when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sa_2470332.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/peter-lynch-2902_chance_when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sa_2470332.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you start to confuse Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae and Fannie Mae with members of your family, and you…” — Peter Lynch", "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": "Peter Lynch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you start to confuse Freddie...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sallie-mae-and-fannie-mae-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/when-you-start-to-confuse-freddie-mac-sallie-mae-and-fannie-mae-with/#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 } } ] } ```