Jim Simons Quotes

“One can predict the course of a comet more easily than one can predict the course of Citigroup's stock. The attractiveness, of course, is that you can make more money successfully predicting a stock than you can a comet.”

“I wasn't the fastest guy in the world. I wouldn't have done well in an Olympiad or a math contest. But I like to ponder. And pondering things, just sort of thinking about it and thinking about it, turns out to be a pretty good approach.”

“Those kinds of times… when everyone is running around like a chicken with its head cut off, that's pretty good for us…”

“Of course we can't show the model or tell people how we calculate our forecasts. That would be like Warren Buffett telling the world what stocks he's buying before he buys them.”

“The culprit is not the basic system but our predictive overlay. When you've done your best, there isn't a great deal to apologize for, the event was a whirlwind that caught everyone by surprise.”

“Patterns of price movement are not random. However, they're close enough to random…”

“We have three criteria: If it's publicly traded, liquid and amenable to modeling, we trade it.”

“We search through historical data looking for anomalous patterns that we would not expect to occur at random.”

“I want a guy who knows enough math so that he can use those tools effectively but has a curiosity about how things work and enough imagination and tenacity to dope it out.”

“Past performance is the best predictor of success.”

“Luck plays a meaningful role in everyone's lives.”

“A good atmosphere and smart people can accomplish a lot.”

“I wasn't the greatest in the world, but I was pretty good.”

“It's not his genius. It's his ability to manage genius.”

“I believe that the division of wealth we have in the United States has been skewed too much, and I think it would be better if it were less skewed.”

“I don't want to have to worry about the market every minute. I want models that will make money while I sleep. A pure system without humans interfering.”

“Taste in science is very important. To distinguish what's a good problem and what's a problem that no one's going to care about the answer to anyway — that's taste. And I think I have good taste.”

“Do something new; don't run with the pack. Surround yourself with the smartest people you can find. Be guided by beauty. Don't give up easily. Hope for good luck!”

“When you're really thinking hard about mathematics, you're in your own world. And you're cushioned from other things.”

“Originally, all science was supported by philanthropy. Galileo had his patrons.”