Edward Rutherfurd said this quote

Always remember this, Henri. Men trade for profit. They are driven by greed. But debt is about fear, and fear is stronger than greed. The true power, the weapon that defeats all others, is debt. Fools search for gold. The wise man studies debt. That is the key to all business.

~ Edward Rutherfurd

So does nobody care about Ireland?Nobody. Neither King Louis, nor King Billie, nor King James. He nodded thoughtfully. The fate of Ireland will be decided by men not a single one of whom gives a damn about her. That is her tragedy.

~ Edward Rutherfurd

And suddenly it came to him. That Strawberry Fields garden he'd come from, and the Freedom Tower he'd been thinking of: taken together, didn't they contain the two words that said it all about this city, the two words that really mattered? It seemed to him that they did. Two words: the one an invitation, the other an ideal, an adventure, a necessity. Imagine said the garden. Freedom said the tower. Imagine freedom. That was the spirit, the message of this city he loved. You really didn't need anything more. Dream it and do it. But first you must dream it.

~ Edward Rutherfurd

Don't you know there's another bubble as well? An expectations bubble. Bigger houses, private planes, yachts... stupid salaries and bonuses. People come to desire these things and expect them. But the expectations bubble will burst as well, as all bubbles do.

~ Edward Rutherfurd