Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.
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Quotes by Warren Buffett
Explore 25 verified and sourced quotes attributed to Warren Buffett. Open any quote for its dedicated page, source details and related topics.
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Selected quotes by Warren Buffett
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.
In the 20th century, the United States endured two world wars and other traumatic and expensive military conflicts; the Depression; a dozen or so recessions and financial panics; oil shocks; a flu epidemic; and the resignation of a disgraced president. Yet the Dow rose from 66 to 11,497.
Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing.
Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1.
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.
When you combine ignorance and leverage, you get some pretty interesting results.
I bought a company in the mid-'90s called Dexter Shoe and paid $400 million for it. And it went to zero. And I gave about $400 million worth of Berkshire stock, which is probably now worth $400 billion. But I've made lots of dumb decisions. That's part of the game.
I never attempt to make money on the stock market. I buy on the assumption that they could close the market the next day and not reopen it for five years.
Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked.
We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.
It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you'll drift in that direction.
I would say the most satisfying thing actually is watching my three children each pick up on their own interests and work many more hours per week than most people that have jobs at trying to intelligently give away that money in fields that they particularly care about.
Derivatives are financial weapons of mass destruction.
Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.
When a management with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is the reputation of the business that remains intact.
Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the subway.
You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong.
It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.
The investor of today does not profit from yesterday's growth.
Of the billionaires I have known, money just brings out the basic traits in them. If they were jerks before they had money, they are simply jerks with a billion dollars.
I buy expensive suits. They just look cheap on me.
I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute.
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