Quotes from Ron Chernow

Gates was always mystified by Morgan's success.

Once again, he hinted at litigation.

An aerial view of John D.'s golf hideaway in Lakewood, New Jersey.

U.S. Steel had pushed Frank Kellogg to target Standard Oil so as to deflect heat from itself.

What he brought to the concept was unprecedented scale and scope.

A capitalist society requires certain preconditions. Among other things, it must establish a rule of law through enforceable contracts; respect private property; create a trustworthy bureaucracy to arbitrate legal disputes; and offer patents and other protections to promote invention

He made a cryptic statement to Hewitt that entered into Rockefeller folklore: "I have ways of making money you know nothing about.

with the large interests of others on my shoulders, it cannot be done

Rockefeller never developed quite the same fond attachment to Owego as to Moravia, but he retained pleasing associations with it.

Rockefeller asserted that he was less afraid of exposing misbehavior by talking to the press than of inadvertently spilling trade secrets.

For some, the credo sounded blandly vacuous and Henry Adams wisecracked that "Let Us Have Peace" meant only "Leave Me Alone.

As the Lord's fiduciary, he was responsible for seeing the money well invested.

He seems to be a man incapable of calm and reasoning reflection; the victim of a succession of unreasoning impulses."113

Junior touted such philanthropies as the best way to advance the family's favorite causes.

early July 1792, it was clear that George Washington would not have the option of silence or inaction in stemming the feud between Hamilton and Jefferson. He had probably waited too long to assert control. His fine, nonpartisan stance may have only intensified the partisan mischief between his two appointees.

If men were angels, no government would be necessary.

How fortunate we were to grow up there, in a beautiful country, with good neighbors, people of culture and refinement, kind friends.

Tell the truth, because sooner or later the public will find out anyway. And if the public doesn't like what you are doing, change your policies and bring them into line with what people want.

True to this policy, Rockefeller tried to extricate himself from the intricate web of administrative details and dedicate more of his time to broad policy decisions.

Instead of chiding him, John steadily advanced more money in 1884, retired his debts, provided income for his family, and rallied his bruised spirits, saying, "Keep a stiff upper lip, clean up as you go, and the skies will brighten by and bye.

Senior countered that "the prestige of his going to Hot Springs for twenty-one days as our family physician Ã¢â'¬Â¦ might be worth a great deal more to him than this loss of patients.

Though he owned 27.4 percent of Standard Oil stock—three times the amount held by Flagler, the next largest shareholder

The remedy is for people to stop watching the ticker, listening to the radio, drinking bootleg gin, and dancing to jazz . . . and return to the old economics and prosperity based upon saving and working.

What also gave the book its force was Lloyd's political message: "Liberty produces wealth, and wealth destroys liberty.