The one immutable truism that exists for bankers is that any problem can be solved by throwing enough money and time at it. The implication? The banker's greatest enemies are those people whose souls are not for sale, and those who realize that time is a nonrenewable commodity. (p. 5-6)

And so it was that the summer dragged on for Rolfe and me. Pitches, deals, dinners, nights on the town, it was one long continuous bank-a-thon. Lots of learning, little sleep, and a healthy serving of humble pie. Eventually it came to an end. The summer had been painful, but it was over. We had survived and we were ready to use the summer experience as a springboard to bigger and better things. Rolfe and I swore we would never go back. We promised ourselves that we would try to get an offer from DLJ and then use...