Sam Zell on welfare incentives not to work

We've created a welfare society that is really discouraging people [from working].  When you can make as much or more by collecting unemployment insurance, and supplemental this and supplemental that, that's pretty dangerous stuff.  Clearly, we're having trouble getting everybody back into the workforce because the alternative is so attractive.

~ Sam Zell, "Sam Zell Buys Gold With Inflation ‘Reminiscent of the ‘70s’," Bloomberg interview, 2:25 mark, May 4, 2021

Sam Zell says no hard landing in China

I don't see a hard landing [in China]. I actually see the Chinese administration, seemingly, becoming more enlightened, particularly with reference to the Yuan. We've seen it go up 2% in the last period of time. I think it will continue to go up. And as it goes up, it will reduce inflation in China and that's a positive.

~Sam Zell, chairman, Equity Group Investments, CNBC, May 16, 2011

Sam Zell on US debt and inflation expectations

I don't know who's buying 30-year fixed-rate debt. I don't understand TIPS, which are projecting 30 years of benign inflation. I mean, this is the Tooth Fairy coming back in spades.

~Sam Zell, chairman, Equity Investments, CNBC, March 3, 2011

Sam Zell on Medicare

Medicare is an abyss.

~Sam Zell, chairman, Equity Investments, CNBC, March 3, 2011

Sam Zell on commercial real estate

I'm sure there's going to be some casualties, particularly in what I would call ex-urban, the glass-block commodity office building. I don't think there is going to be any casualties in Manhattan, I don't think there's going to be any casualties in any of the first-class office space around the country. The commercial real estate market is going to do terrific no matter what the economy does, short of a depression.

~ Sam Zell, "Zell sees commercial real estate investing surging," Bloomberg, May 1, 2008