Businessman Quotes

“We've got a wonderful economic formula in this country.”

“I’ve worked in an economy that rewards someone who saves the lives of others on a battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-you notes from parents, but rewards those who can detect the mispricing of securities with sums reaching into the billions.”

“Our stay-put behavior reflects our view that the stock market serves as a relocation center at which money is moved from the active to the patient.”

“We can afford to lose money - even a lot of money. But we can't afford to lose reputation - even a shred of reputation.”

“You're neither right nor wrong because other people agree with you. You're right because your facts are right and your reasoning is right - that's the only thing that makes you right. And if your facts and reasoning are right, you don't have to worry about anybody else.”

“There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.”

“When they get their ego involved, people do things they shouldn't do.”

“If you lose money for the firm, I will be forgiving. If you lose reputation, I will be ruthless.”

“A diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor a person perfected without trials. Someone is enjoying shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

“Never get too hung up on mistakes.”

“I believe the chance of any event causing Berkshire to experience financial problems is essentially zero. We will always be prepared for the thousand-year flood; in fact, if it occurswe will be selling life jackets to the unprepared.”

“I mean, we'll be pounding on the guy's chest, you know, on the floor, and you know, he's not going to just jump up all of a sudden. So it makes it tough. I mean, it's tough to be in the legislature, you know, and vote for something and then people say, well, you voted all this money and you know, it's all getting spent. It isn't getting spent. It's getting invested. But it's all getting spent. Nothing's happening.”

“I did not think I would see the day when, you know, an AIG would not be able to have its checks clear.”

“You are neither right nor wrong because the crowd disagrees with you.”

“The only time to buy these is on a day with no 'y' in it.”

“We have a country where I don't know whether it's a million households a year or more, but good form.”

“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.”

“One’s objective should be to get it right, get it quick, get it out and get it over. Your problem won’t improve with age.”

“I think the worst mistake you can make in stocks is to buy or sell based on current headlines.”

“In the end we must have people to match our principles, not the reverse.”

“The only way to get love is to be lovable. It's very irritating if you have a lot of money. You'd like to think you could write a check: "I'll buy a million dollars' worth of love." But it doesn't work that way. The more you give love away, the more you get.”

“I really like my life. I've arranged my life so that I can do what I want.”

“I have got this letter which actually goes out the day after I die. It has already been written. And it says that: "Yesterday I died". And then it says: "That's bad news for me, but it's not bad news for you, the shareholders of Berkshire". And then I go on and explain what is going to happen. I know that is one time when they will be really interested in hearing from me.”

“I am a better investor because I am a businessman, and a better businessman because I am no investor.”

“The secret to happiness is having low expectations.”