We needed liquidity; I've provided it, but we can't operate if we don't have the necessary liquidity. Edward Lampert More Quotes by Edward Lampert More Quotes From Edward Lampert This idea of anticipation is key to investing and to business generally. You can't wait for an opportunity to become obvious. You have to think, "Here's what other people and companies have done under certain circumstances. Now, under these new circumstances, how is this management likely to behave?" Edward Lampert opportunity ideas thinking I want to be known as a great businessman. Edward Lampert great-business businessman want The entrance strategy is actually more important than the exit strategy. Edward Lampert strategy exit important To operate a company of the size of Sears Holdings or Wal-Mart or Target or Home Depot or Lowes, you need a combination of skills, and each of those skills needs to be sufficiently strong. Edward Lampert skills strong home If we put a product into Sears, we don't want to have to pull it out in a year, or two years, or three years. We don't want to do that only to have it yanked away. Edward Lampert three two years Let me be the first one to acknowledge we are on the right path but we haven't gotten over the hump. We need to convert our vision into reality. Edward Lampert business The pushback I get is, 'He's a hedge fund guy.' Full stop. Some places, that can be a badge of honor. In others, it's almost a term of derision. Edward Lampert stop others some honor I think a lot of times when people talk about merchants, it's almost a nostalgic look back at the time where the world moved at a very different pace, and information was very different. Edward Lampert look time people world Trying to move the volume of products we're talking about from place to place to get it ultimately into the customer's hands, to price these items, to market these items, I think the retail business is incredibly complex. But if you get it right, it's a beautiful thing. Edward Lampert you business beautiful hands I was very clear why we put these companies together and what our goals were. It was really to allow both Sears and Kmart to compete in what I thought was going to be a more challenging but evolving industry. Edward Lampert goals more thought together I'm not from a retail background, but I am a shopper. Edward Lampert background am i-am retail If you're unwilling to try new things and to fail and learn, you don't have a shot. That doesn't mean you are going to be successful, but you have to try to change. Edward Lampert new you new-things change