The Week in Words: From the ICU to an IPO; very cute rats; a sore spot

"We're not seeing any significant growth prospects. Why be in the market if there's no [near-term] prospects for growth?"

- Peter Costa, president of Empire Executions, on why stocks fell last week

"It's not a pretty picture."

- economist Raymond Stone, on the decline in manufacturing reported by Philadelphia-area firms

"If the world of business is an ugly world full of rats, they've managed to create a bushy tail for themselves and come across as a very, very cute rat with terms like 'Do no evil.' "

- Scott Galloway, professor of brand strategy at the Stern School of Business at New York University, criticizing Google's "net-neutrality" stance

"It's been our one sore spot."

- Dan Lafond, AT&T's regional vice president, on system overloads during Phillies games at Citizens Bank Park

"A year ago, they were in the ICU, and now they're showing an IPO. That's pretty impressive."

- analyst Rebecca Lindland of IHS Automotive, on General Motors Co.

"These are stocks with the [financial] characteristics everybody says they want, and we're getting them at a discount. That's because certain people don't want to own them."

- Jeff Middleswart, manager of Vice Fund, a mutual fund invested in companies profiting from smoking, drinking, and gambling

"The current economy has really resulted in the need for some individuals to borrow from their 401(k) or take a distribution to pay for some critical living expenses, which puts their retirement savings in jeopardy."

- Fidelity vice president Beth McHugh, warning of a rise in people who borrow from their retirement accounts