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Worldly Wisdom
Charlie Munger's answer to the ancient question, "how ought one to live?". Although not as well-known as his world-famous colleague, Charlie has served as Warren Buffet's partner in running Berkshire Hathaway for more than 50 years and, in Warren's own words, is "both smarter and wiser".
80 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2009
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About the author
Charles T. Munger
16 books895 followersCharles Thomas Munger is an American business magnate, lawyer, investor, and philanthropist. He is Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Corporation, the diversified investment corporation chaired by Warren Buffett; in this capacity, Buffett describes Charlie Munger as "my partner." Munger served as chairman of Wesco Financial Corporation from 1984 through 2011 (Wesco was approximately 80%-owned by Berkshire-Hathaway during that time). He is also the chairman of the Daily Journal Corporation, based in Los Angeles, California, and a director of Costco Wholesale Corporation.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 29, 2024
"Worldly Wisdom" by Charlie Munger is a profound exploration of life and decision-making. Munger's insights, drawn from decades of experience, offer a refreshing perspective on navigating the complexities of the world. His emphasis on interdisciplinary thinking and mental models equips readers with practical tools to make better judgments and achieve long-term success. Whether you're an investor, entrepreneur, or simply someone seeking to enhance your understanding of human behavior, this book is an invaluable resource. Munger's wit and wisdom make this a compelling read for anyone eager to cultivate a deeper understanding of the world.
January 2, 2026
To begin, this book is a collection of two speeches and one essay. I can understand on this level why there is not a notes section- nonetheless, I find this irresponsible given certain claims. The format of this book has this attitude like Charles Munger is an intellectually infallible man who does not need to be fact checked or backed up in any way, as if just by virtue of even knowing Warren Buffet he is oh so smart and wise. I’m not even claiming he is not those things- however, to expect every reader to operate like you are because you and your friends said so is just coconuts to me. In the book he is constantly mentioning Warren Buffet as if being his accomplice intrinsically means something good for the world intellectually. Meanwhile I’m truly unsure why, as the reader, I should like and trust Warren Buffet too.
This man is extremely presumptuous while denouncing presumption. The world to him is made up of winners and losers, a hierarchy I just cannot abide or respect. It is frankly ignorant and privileged.
Furthermore, when discussing psychology in his essay, he himself admits on several occasions that he only, and I quote, “skimmed” three psychology /textbooks/. I want to further emphasize that he said he only skimmed textbooks and made no mention of consuming any other form of academic text or media in general. He then goes on to claim that certain psychological phenomenons are, again I quote, “never” addressed in academic works in psychology. How would he know? I would venture to call this detrimentally ignorant. I maintain that I will not make claims on his intelligence however it is really not looking good.
Charles Munger is stereotypical in his view of life as a monetized competition. He is concerned with maximizing.
This books is not friendly to readers who have never heard of Charles Munger or Warren Buffet. However, to be clear, I’m certainly not asserting that it necessarily should be- every text has the right to itself.
It is entirely possible that I come at this from too critically academic an angle. When read as a simple memoir of sorts it is sufficient.
———
I fear it will sound unnecessarily harsh but I do unfortunately struggle to think of something positive I got from this book other than the precious glimpse into a person’s life that you get reading anyone’s words. While looking through my notes searching for a positive I find my favorite ignorant, privileged and uniquely American take of his: when he claimed on page 44 that the world’s slavery had been abolished in the last three centuries. Curious.
It’s hard to see the merits of some of his advice when you put it into the context of his life and attitude. There is one idea of his that I feel connected to when I isolate it from his praxis: “… the safest way to get what you want is to try to deserve what you want.” For a moment it was a very thoughtful idea. Unfortunately, this was in reference to selling products. Not four lines later he elaborates that it is about “winning.”
If you find yourself wanting to be the best boy with the most money you might like this book.
This man is extremely presumptuous while denouncing presumption. The world to him is made up of winners and losers, a hierarchy I just cannot abide or respect. It is frankly ignorant and privileged.
Furthermore, when discussing psychology in his essay, he himself admits on several occasions that he only, and I quote, “skimmed” three psychology /textbooks/. I want to further emphasize that he said he only skimmed textbooks and made no mention of consuming any other form of academic text or media in general. He then goes on to claim that certain psychological phenomenons are, again I quote, “never” addressed in academic works in psychology. How would he know? I would venture to call this detrimentally ignorant. I maintain that I will not make claims on his intelligence however it is really not looking good.
Charles Munger is stereotypical in his view of life as a monetized competition. He is concerned with maximizing.
This books is not friendly to readers who have never heard of Charles Munger or Warren Buffet. However, to be clear, I’m certainly not asserting that it necessarily should be- every text has the right to itself.
It is entirely possible that I come at this from too critically academic an angle. When read as a simple memoir of sorts it is sufficient.
———
I fear it will sound unnecessarily harsh but I do unfortunately struggle to think of something positive I got from this book other than the precious glimpse into a person’s life that you get reading anyone’s words. While looking through my notes searching for a positive I find my favorite ignorant, privileged and uniquely American take of his: when he claimed on page 44 that the world’s slavery had been abolished in the last three centuries. Curious.
It’s hard to see the merits of some of his advice when you put it into the context of his life and attitude. There is one idea of his that I feel connected to when I isolate it from his praxis: “… the safest way to get what you want is to try to deserve what you want.” For a moment it was a very thoughtful idea. Unfortunately, this was in reference to selling products. Not four lines later he elaborates that it is about “winning.”
If you find yourself wanting to be the best boy with the most money you might like this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2020
If you asked me what one thing I learned after reading this book, I would have a hard time coming up with something that I would remember even weeks later. I have tremendous respect for Charlie Munger and through his writing can certainly appreciate his intelligence, but the argument structure he lays out isn’t coherent in reinforcing key underlying themes. There is one page in the whole book, very near the end when he uses a real life situation to highlight his psychology tendency rules and it starts to click nicely, but this is the exception, not the rule.
July 29, 2019
This is a wonderfully insightful book that gives readers the awareness of human tendencies and bias. Having such awareness is essentially relevant to all, especially so if one were to work well with people.
Although its a short book of 80 pages, it is jam-packed with insights. Even though the contents of this book is actually from “Poor Charlie’s Almanack” by Charles Munger, I still fancy this book due to its small size. Perfect size to bring along on travels.
Although its a short book of 80 pages, it is jam-packed with insights. Even though the contents of this book is actually from “Poor Charlie’s Almanack” by Charles Munger, I still fancy this book due to its small size. Perfect size to bring along on travels.
October 18, 2023
Charlie’s famous saying: “the best people you can learn from are dead people” his insights from a life widely read and well lived.
August 11, 2024
Very good, but dense. I stopped halfway and re-started, taking notes to simplify and condense in order to understand. Very good life lessons.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews