Ben Stein Quotes

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Ben Stein

Profession : Actor

Birth : November 25, 1944

Put simply, the rich pay a lot of taxes as a total percentage of taxes collected, but they don't pay a lot of taxes as a percentage of what they can afford to pay, or as a percentage of what the government needs to close the deficit gap.

Ben Stein

People ask how I can be a conservative and still want higher taxes. It makes my head spin, and I guess it shows how old I am. But I thought that conservatives were supposed to like balanced budgets. I thought it was the conservative position to not leave heavy indebtedness to our grandchildren.

Ben Stein

Trying to pick individual stocks is a trap. I can't do it. Warren Buffett can, but hardly anyone else can beat the indexes over a long period of time.

Ben Stein

Traders can cause short-term volatility. In the long run, the market must revert to a sensible price/earnings multiple.

Ben Stein

We're a lazy, undisciplined generation. I don't exempt myself: I spend way too much, even though I make a good income.

Ben Stein

If there's a recession, I'd buy stocks. That's when you make money: when markets are spooked.

Ben Stein

I'm an economist by training. I don't really work as an economist. I only worked briefly as an economist.

Ben Stein

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it.

Ben Stein

I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Ben Stein

I always assumed scientists were free to ask any question, pursue any line of inquiry without fear or reprisal.

Ben Stein

Science should always be in the business of attempting to disprove itself.

Ben Stein

For me, I've always believed that there was a God. I've always believed that God created the heavens and earth - so, for me it's not a huge leap from there to intelligent design.

Ben Stein

My parents, products of the Great Depression, were successful people, but lived in a state of constant fear that my sister and I, and they, would sink into the kind of economic insecurity that their generation knew so well.

Ben Stein

Emperor Sid Caesar is gone to eternity himself now. He takes with him the gratitude of every one of us who first learned the relief of laughter from this genuinely great performer.

Ben Stein

I have a great pic of my father and Rev. Graham laughing hysterically at some joke with George Pratt Shultz looking on back in 1972 or so.

Ben Stein

It isn't the rich people's fault that poor people are poor. Poor people who get an education and work hard in this country will stop being poor. That should be the goal for all poor people everywhere.

Ben Stein

People getting rich in a free society in general - with some scammy exceptions, which are rare - makes everyone else richer, too.

Ben Stein

When Hollywood sees a good story about a man who sells confidence, they see themselves and they like it.

Ben Stein

Running a real business is exacting, daunting, repetitive work. Even in Silicon Valley.

Ben Stein

Hollywood is largely about scammers and con men. It was my main livelihood for about 25 years, and the scams were beautiful and ugly, cheap and expensive, but, wow, were there a lot of scammers.

Ben Stein