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Ability Quote by Warren Buffett

“I think that they hoped the private sector would come in. And the private sector tried to come in until they saw the size of the problem. I mean, from were people on that weekend that thought they'd had a solution. And then the hole kept getting bigger and bigger. And all of a sudden became…” quote by Warren Buffett
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“I think that they hoped the private sector would come in. And the private sector tried to come in until they saw the size of the problem. I mean, from were people on that weekend that thought they'd had a solution. And then the hole kept getting bigger and bigger. And all of a sudden became apparent that 20 billion wouldn't do it and 30 billion wouldn't do it and 40 billion wouldn't do it. So it got beyond anybody's ability to certainly to do it in a short period of time.”

Warren Buffett

About This Quote

Source Speech: Annual Shareholder Meeting, Warren Buffett, 2008

Large problems exceed private sector capacity; collective action and massive resources are needed.

In simple terms: Big issues need big cooperation.

Key Takeaway

Seek collaborative solutions.

Themes

economics public policy scale

Mood

analytical pragmatic

Type

strategic informative

When to use this quote

  • disaster relief
  • climate change
  • infrastructure projects

Key Concepts

systemic risk government intervention

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can public-private partnerships improve?
  • What limits private sector involvement?
A Different Perspective

Private sector can still contribute with proper coordination.

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