Jesse Livermore knew this and it took me the better part of 14 years to learn and respect this.

FORBES: "And then all of a sudden..."

As it happens, Maury Klein does not cite Fisher's quote, but otherwise he tells the story of the crash clearly and well, with some especially good pen portraits of characters such as Thomas Lamont, Jesse Livermore, Charley Mitchell and Albert Wiggin (who actually made money short-selling).

ECONOMIST: Wall Street crash

And as for the Wall Street Bear, Jesse Lauriston Livermore, famous speculator in the stock and commodities markets, his end is perhaps the most tragic of all.

FORBES: The Nine Financiers, a Parable About Power