quotes by Warren Buffett

"Be Fearful When Others Are Greedy and Greedy When Others Are Fearful"
— Warren Buffett

"The most important thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging."
— Warren Buffett

"Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it’s true. If you hire somebody without [integrity], you really want them to be dumb and lazy."
— Warren Buffett

"Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
— Warren Buffett

"Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks."
— Warren Buffett

"You have to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful."
— Warren Buffett

"You never know who's swimming naked until the tide goes out."
— Warren Buffett

"If you've been playing poker for half an hour and you still don't know who the patsy is, you're the patsy."
— Warren Buffett

"Life is like a snowball. The important thing is finding wet snow and a really long hill. "
— Warren Buffett

"You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong."
— Warren Buffett

"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get."
— Warren Buffett

"There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning."
— Warren Buffett

"The attitude of our managers vividly contrasts with that of the young man who married a tycoon's only child, a decidedly homely and dull lass. Relieved, the father called in his new son- in-law after the wedding and began to discuss the future:

'Son, you're the boy I always wanted and never had. Here's a stock certificate for 50% of the company. You're my equal partner from now on.'

'Thanks, dad.'

'Now, what would you like to run? How about sales?'

'I'm afraid I couldn't sell water to a man crawling in the Sahara.'

'Well then, how about heading human relations?'

'I really don't care for people.'

'No problem, we have lots of other spots in the business. What would you like to do?'

'Actually, nothing appeals to me. Why don't you just buy me out?'"
— Warren Buffett

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minuted to ruin it. If you think about that you'll do things differently."
— Warren Buffett

"You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant."
— Warren Buffett

"We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.
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— Warren Buffett

"Investors should be skeptical of history-based models. Constructed by a nerdy-sounding priesthood using esoteric terms such as beta, gamma, sigma and the like, these models tend to look impressive. Too often, though, investors forget to examine the assumptions behind the models. Beware of geeks bearing formulas. "
— Warren Buffett

"I won't close down a business of subnormal profitability merely to add a fraction of a point to our corporate returns. I also feel it inappropriate for even an exceptionally profitable company to fund an operation once it appears to have unending losses in prospect. Adam Smith would disagree with my first proposition and Karl Marx would disagree with my second; the middle ground is the only position that leaves me comfortable."
— Warren Buffett

"Failing conventionally is the route to go; as a group, lemmings may have a rotten image, but no individual lemming has ever received bad press"
— Warren Buffett

"I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute. "
— Warren Buffett

"Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks. "
— Warren Buffett

"There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult. "
— Warren Buffett

"I am quite serious when I say that I do not believe there are, on the whole earth besides, so many intensified bores as in these United States. No man can form an adequate idea of the real meaning of the word, without coming here. "
— Warren Buffett