80 Quotes by Carl Icahn

With some exceptions, the wrong people are running U.S. companies. It's been that way for years, and it hasn't gotten much better.

A lot of people died fighting tyranny. The least I can do is vote against it.

I have to look out for the shareholder’s interests, and I’m the largest shareholder.

The CEO is, by far, the most important decision for a company... The company is going to rise and fall with the CEO.

We have bloated bureaucracies in Corporate America. The root of the problem is the absence of real corporate democracy.

Now the guy that got to the top, the CEO, would obviously be stupid to have a number two guy who was a lot smarter than he is. So by definition, since he's a survivor and he got to the top and he isn't that brilliant, his number two guy is going to always be a little worse than he is. So, as time goes on, it's anti-Darwinism, the survival of the un- fittest.

And I'm convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you can work with the unions because the unions want to survive. If they are confronted simply with the question: "Do you want this company to survive or do you want it to be broken up?" they will listen. It's their livelihood.

I can tell you how bad our boards are... I don't have to watch Saturday Night Live anymore; I just go to the board meetings.

My wife watches me like a hawk.