---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At equal returns, public investments are…"
description: "\"At equal returns, public investments are generally superior to private investments not only because they are more liquid but also because amidst distre..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/seth-klarman-1979_attractive_at-equal-returns-public-investments-are_2028592.jpg"
---

#  At equal returns, public investments are generally…

![“At equal returns, public investments are generally superior to private investments not only because they are more liquid but also because amidst distress, public markets are more likely than private ones to offer attractive opportunities to average down.” quote by Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/seth-klarman-1979_attractive_at-equal-returns-public-investments-are_2028592.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/seth-klarman-1979_attractive_at-equal-returns-public-investments-are_2028592.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/seth-klarman-1979_attractive_at-equal-returns-public-investments-are_2028592.jpg)

> “At equal returns, public investments are generally superior to private investments not only because they are more liquid but also because amidst distress, public markets are more likely than private ones to offer attractive opportunities to average down.”

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Public assets are often more liquid and can provide better downside protection during market stress than private assets.

**In simple terms:** Public markets give easier access and potential to buy low during crises.

Key Takeaway

Consider public investments for liquidity and crisis buying.

Themes

investment strategy liquidity risk management

Mood

analytical cautious

Type

educational strategic

When to use this quote

- portfolio construction
- stress‑testing
- allocation decisions
- risk assessment

Key Concepts

public vs private markets downside protection market cycles

Questions to Reflect On

- When should you favor public over private assets?
- How do you balance liquidity with return potential?

A Different Perspective

Public markets can be volatile and may not always offer better returns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Distress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distress/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/)

## Related quotes

> [Throughout U.S. history, competent public investments have been an essential complement to private investments - from the Louisiana Purchase, to land-grant colleges, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-rohatyn/throughout-u-s-history-competent-public-investments-have-been-an/)

[Felix Rohatyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-rohatyn/)

> [5 opens with the promise of a number of substantial direct private investments that can swiftly transform the economy and set all sectors on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baldwin-spencer/5-opens-with-the-promise-of-a-number-of-substantial-direct-private/)

[Baldwin Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baldwin-spencer/)

> [America's government has to get the public investments right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-s-government-has-to-get-the-public-investments-right/)

[Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/)

> [I believe with all my heart that bold, public investments in care for people, communities, and the environment can anchor the rebirth of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaal-bowman/i-believe-with-all-my-heart-that-bold-public-investments-in-care-for/)

[Jamaal Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaal-bowman/)

> [When managers are afraid of redemptions, they get liquid. We all saw how many managers went from leveraged long in 2007 to huge net…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/when-managers-are-afraid-of-redemptions-they-get-liquid-we-all-saw/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Music is liquid architecture; Architecture is frozen music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/music-is-liquid-architecture-architecture-is-frozen-music/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [With liquid zeolite, we have returned to the basic healing approach for all chronic diseases, which is to free up and activate the vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-cousens/with-liquid-zeolite-we-have-returned-to-the-basic-healing-approach/)

[Gabriel Cousens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-cousens/)

> [Prominent exploration experts have recently predicted that total world production of liquid oil will peak by about the end of this decade-or a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amory-lovins/prominent-exploration-experts-have-recently-predicted-that-total/)

[Amory Lovins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amory-lovins/)

> [... in a history of spiritual rupture, a social compact built on fantasy and collective secrets, poetry becomes more necessary than ever: it keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/in-a-history-of-spiritual-rupture-a-social-compact-built-on-fantasy/)

[Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/)

> [Remember, life is always uncertain. Everything dead is certain, life is always uncertain. Everything dead is solid, fixed - its nature cannot be changed;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/remember-life-is-always-uncertain-everything-dead-is-certain-life-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When a liquid boils, the temperature has been raised to such a pitch that the evaporating molecules are sufficient in number and speed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-bragg/when-a-liquid-boils-the-temperature-has-been-raised-to-such-a-pitch/)

[William Henry Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-bragg/)

> [There exists for every liquid a temperature at which no amount of pressure is sufficient to retain it in the liquid form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-andrews/there-exists-for-every-liquid-a-temperature-at-which-no-amount-of/)

Thomas Andrews

> [I like René Descartes' theory about a ball of wax. You can change its form from solid to liquid, but it's still the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-rossum/i-like-ren-descartes-theory-about-a-ball-of-wax-you-can-change-its/)

[Emmy Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-rossum/)

> [Just as the setting sun turned the clouds to liquid gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/just-as-the-setting-sun-turned-the-clouds-to-liquid-gold/)

[Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

## More by Seth Klarman

> [Unlike return, however, risk is no more quantifiable at the end of an investment that it was at its beginning. Risk simply cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/unlike-return-however-risk-is-no-more-quantifiable-at-the-end-of-an/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Because investors are not usually penalized for adhering to conventional practices, doing so is the less professionally risky strategy, even though it virtually guarantees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/because-investors-are-not-usually-penalized-for-adhering-to/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Value investing is risk aversion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/value-investing-is-risk-aversion/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Be focused on process and not outcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/be-focused-on-process-and-not-outcome/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [There is an old saying, "How did you go bankrupt?" And the answer is, "Gradually, and then suddenly." The impending fiscal crisis in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/there-is-an-old-saying-how-did-you-go-bankrupt-and-the-answer-is/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [In a rising market, everyone makes money and a value philosophy is unnecessary. But because there is no certain way to predict what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/in-a-rising-market-everyone-makes-money-and-a-value-philosophy-is/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Ultimately, nothing should be more important to investors than the ability to sleep soundly at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/ultimately-nothing-should-be-more-important-to-investors-than-the/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [The best protection against risk is knowing what you are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/the-best-protection-against-risk-is-knowing-what-you-are-doing/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Warren Buffett once wrote that value investing is like an inoculation--it either takes or it doesn't--and when you explain to somebody what it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/warren-buffett-once-wrote-that-value-investing-is-like-an-inoculation/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [It is important to remember that value investing is not a perfect science. It is an, with an ongoing need for judgment, refinement, patience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/it-is-important-to-remember-that-value-investing-is-not-a-perfect/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Value investing is at its core the marriage of a contrarian streak and a calculator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/value-investing-is-at-its-core-the-marriage-of-a-contrarian-streak/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [The avoidance of loss is the surest way to ensure a profitable outcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/the-avoidance-of-loss-is-the-surest-way-to-ensure-a-profitable-outcome/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Do not suffer interim losses, relish and appreciate them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/do-not-suffer-interim-losses-relish-and-appreciate-them/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Ratings agencies are highly conflicted, unimaginative dupes. They are blissfully unaware of adverse selection and moral hazard. Investors should never trust them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/ratings-agencies-are-highly-conflicted-unimaginative-dupes-they-are/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [It is crucial to have a strategy in place before problems hit, precisely because no one can accurately predict the future direction of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/it-is-crucial-to-have-a-strategy-in-place-before-problems-hit/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

[Explore all 193 Seth Klarman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

## More Attractive quotes

> [Every woman thinks herself attractive; even the plainest is satisfied with the charms she deems that she possesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/every-woman-thinks-herself-attractive-even-the-plainest-is-satisfied/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [A beautiful woman must expect to be more accountable for her steps, than one less attractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/a-beautiful-woman-must-expect-to-be-more-accountable-for-her-steps/)

[Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/)

> [We are Bay Aryans from Berkeley: prepare to be reengineered in an attractive range of color schemes for your safety and comfort!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/we-are-bay-aryans-from-berkeley-prepare-to-be-reengineered-in-an/)

[Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/)

> [I was unusual looking - I didn't have the look of that time. If you look at 'Lucas' - and, basically, my first five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-was-unusual-looking-i-didn-t-have-the-look-of-that-time-if-you-look/)

[Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/)

> [Violence is what people do when they run out of good ideas. It's attractive because it's simple, it's direct, it's almost always available as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/violence-is-what-people-do-when-they-run-out-of-good-ideas-it-s/)

[James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/)

> [I hated grunge. No one’s more feminist than me, but you don’t have to look as if you don’t give a - you know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-hated-grunge-no-one-s-more-feminist-than-me-but-you-don-t-have-to/)

[Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/)

> [Web users ultimately want to get at data quickly and easily. They don't care as much about attractive sites and pretty design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/web-users-ultimately-want-to-get-at-data-quickly-and-easily-they-don/)

[Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/)

> [Just be confident. Confidence is the most attractive part of a person. Because if they're not confident enough to show you who they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/just-be-confident-confidence-is-the-most-attractive-part-of-a-person/)

[Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/)

> [It is very pleasant to scratch an itching ring-worm, but the sensation one gets afterwards is very painful and intolerable. In the same way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/it-is-very-pleasant-to-scratch-an-itching-ring-worm-but-the-sensation/)

[Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/)

> [I think it's sort of the hypothetical point where communism and fascism meet. They love tragedy, and they love surface beauty. You just watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/i-think-it-s-sort-of-the-hypothetical-point-where-communism-and/)

[Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/)

> [My dad had a personal style which was very attractive. It was quite reserved and quite elegant, and it was infectious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/my-dad-had-a-personal-style-which-was-very-attractive-it-was-quite/)

[Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/)

> [When you consider the sheer magnitude of investable equities to choose from in the world's emerging markets, you realize that finding one that looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mobius/when-you-consider-the-sheer-magnitude-of-investable-equities-to/)

[Mark Mobius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mobius/)

> [“Are pervs only pervs if you don't find them attractive?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancy/are-pervs-only-pervs-if-you-don-t-find-them-attractive/)

Rick Yancy

> [I've tried to stay true, in my own fashion, to the ideas of The Sex Pistols, even while I was working with bands like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-temple/i-ve-tried-to-stay-true-in-my-own-fashion-to-the-ideas-of-the-sex/)

[Julien Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-temple/)

> [I remember the early 1980s, when I first got one of these fabulous film critic jobs. The downside was sitting through 'Splatteria III: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunter/i-remember-the-early-1980s-when-i-first-got-one-of-these-fabulous/)

[Stephen Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunter/)

Browse all 1,796 Attractive quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "At equal returns, public investments are generally superior to private investments not only because they are more liquid but also because amidst distress, public markets are more likely than private ones to offer attractive opportunities to average down.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Seth Klarman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/at-equal-returns-public-investments-are-generally-superior-to-private/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attractive"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/at-equal-returns-public-investments-are-generally-superior-to-private/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/seth-klarman-1979_attractive_at-equal-returns-public-investments-are_2028592.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/seth-klarman-1979_attractive_at-equal-returns-public-investments-are_2028592.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/seth-klarman-1979_attractive_at-equal-returns-public-investments-are_2028592.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“At equal returns, public investments are generally superior to private investments not only because they are…” — Seth Klarman",
                "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": "Seth Klarman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "At equal returns, public investments are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/at-equal-returns-public-investments-are-generally-superior-to-private/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/at-equal-returns-public-investments-are-generally-superior-to-private/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
