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Warren Buffett is best known for his extraordinary ability to identify undervalued companies and compound capital over decades through his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway. Born during the Great Depression, he began his investment journey early, eventually studying under Benjamin Graham at Columbia University. His strategy is remarkably consistent: he seeks businesses with understandable operations, favorable long-term prospects, and competent management, often holding these positions forever. This approach stands in stark contrast to the speculation and volatility often seen in Wall Street trading.
Investor · Business Tycoon
Warren Buffett, widely known as the "Oracle of Omaha," is one of the most successful investors in history and a defining figure in modern global finance. As the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, he transformed a struggling textile company into a colossal conglomerate by adhering to the principles of value investing learned from his mentor, Benjamin Graham. Buffett's philosophy prioritizes long-term ownership, ethical management, and acquiring companies with strong economic "moats" at fair prices. Beyond his financial acumen, he is a noted philanthropist who co-founded The Giving Pledge, promising to donate 99 percent of his wealth to charitable causes. His annual shareholder letters are revered for their wit, candor, and simplified explanations of complex economic concepts, influencing generations of investors to look beyond market fluctuations and focus on intrinsic business value.
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"Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently."
"It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it in the game of repeated interactions."
"Cash is to a business as oxygen is to an individual: never thought about when it is present, the only thing in mind when it is absent."
"I enjoy what I do. I tap dance to work every day."
"Our favorite holding period is forever."
"The most important thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging."
"Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing."
"I don't look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over."
Source: Book: The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
"Trust is like the air we breathe—when it's present, nobody really notices; when it's absent, everybody notices."
"Honesty is a very expensive gift. Don't expect it from cheap people."
Source: Book: The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
"In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you."
"We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful."
"A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought."
"Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the subway."
"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."
"Time is the friend of the wonderful company, the enemy of the mediocre."
"Keep things simple and don't swing for the fences. When promised quick profits, respond with a quick 'no.'"
"What the wise do in the beginning, fools do in the end."
"There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult."
"If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians."
"You don't need to be a rocket scientist. Investing is not a game where the guy with the 160 IQ beats the guy with 130 IQ."
"We enjoy the process far more than the proceeds."
"Never invest in a business you cannot understand."
"I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute."
Source: Biography: Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist
"Speculation is most dangerous when it looks easiest."
"The business schools reward complex difficult behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective."
"Big opportunities in life have to be seized. We don't do very many things, but when we get the chance to do something that's right and big, we've got to do it."
"The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect."
"The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything."
"Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule No. 1."
"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get."
"It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price."
"Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked."
"Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken."
Quick answers about Warren Buffett.
In a financial world often driven by algorithms and short-term speculation, Buffett's track record proves that fundamental analysis and ethical stewardship remain superior strategies. His approach democratized investing knowledge, teaching millions that purchasing a stock is equivalent to buying a piece of a business.
To apply his thinking, an investor should strictly define their "circle of competence," avoiding industries they do not fully understand regardless of the hype. Furthermore, one should look for companies with a durable competitive advantage, or "moat," and view market downturns as buying opportunities rather than reasons to panic.
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"Ultimately, Warren Buffett's legacy is defined not just by his immense wealth, but by his integrity, rationality, and the enduring educational value of his writings."