Warren Buffett, known as the Oracle of Omaha, is one of the most successful investors and business minds in history. Beyond his financial acumen, Buffett’s words offer profound insights into life, success, investing, and personal growth. His quotes are celebrated worldwide for their clarity, wit, and timeless wisdom. This article compiles over 120 inspirational Warren Buffett quotes that can motivate and guide anyone seeking success and fulfillment. Each quote is presented simply and directly, allowing the power of his words to resonate without distraction.
120+ Warren Buffet Inspirational Quotes to Guide Your Success
1. Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule No. 1.
2. The stock market is designed to transfer money from the active to the patient.
3. It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.
4. Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.
5. The best investment you can make is in yourself.
6. Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.
7. Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
8. The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.
9. In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.
10. Our favorite holding period is forever.
11. Honesty is a very expensive gift. Don’t expect it from cheap people.
12. The only time to buy these is on a day with no ‘y’ in it.
13. Predicting rain doesn’t count. Building arks does.
14. We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.
15. The key to investing is not assessing how much an industry is going to affect society, or how much it will grow, but rather determining the competitive advantage of any given company and, above all, the durability of that advantage.
16. Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.
17. The investor of today does not profit from yesterday’s growth.
18. When forced to choose, I will not trade even a night’s sleep for the chance of extra profits.
19. Money will not change how healthy you are or how many people love you.
20. Don’t risk what is important to you, to get what is not important to you.
21. If you can tell me who your heroes are, I can tell you how you’re going to turn out in life.
22. Never lie under any circumstances.
23. If principles can become dated, they’re not principles.
24. Diversification is protection against ignorance. It makes little sense if you know what you are doing.
25. I may have more money than you, but money doesn’t make the difference.
26. If there is any difference between you and me, it may simply be that I get up and have a chance to do what I love to do, every day.
27. Never count on making a good sale. Have the purchase price be so attractive that even a mediocre sale gives good results.
28. Never give up searching for the job that you’re passionate about.
29. During inflation, goodwill is the gift that keeps on giving.
30. I try to buy stock in businesses that are so wonderful that an idiot can run them.
31. There’s no use running if you’re on the wrong road.
32. Generally speaking, investing in yourself is the best thing you can do.
33. You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.
34. The big question about how people behave is whether they’ve got an Inner Scorecard or an Outer Scorecard.
35. 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.
36. You don’t ever ask a barber whether you need a haircut.
37. Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy.
38. What we learn from history is that people don’t learn from history.
39. Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.
40. In investing, just as in baseball, to put runs on the scoreboard, one must watch the playing field, not the scoreboard.
41. I always knew I was going to be rich. I don’t think I ever doubted it for a minute.
42. I tell college students, when you get to be my age you will be successful if the people whom you hope to have love you, do love you.
43. If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.
44. The trick is, when there is nothing to do, do nothing.
45. You can always tell someone to go to hell tomorrow … You haven’t missed the opportunity.
46. We never take the one-year figure very seriously.
47. An owner must weigh upside potential against downside risk; an option holder has no downside.
48. I’ll be happy to accept a lottery ticket as a gift — but I’ll never buy one.
49. And the fact that a given asset has appreciated in the recent past is never a reason to buy it.
50. Never forget that 2 + 2 will always equal 4.
51. In the world of business, the people who are most successful are those who are doing what they love.
52. With very few exceptions, we have now worked for many decades with people whom we like and trust.
53. It’s a joy in life to employ decent and talented people — no jerks.
54. Turnover averages, perhaps, one person per year.
55. Management in place. Find a good business that makes sense, and make sure there are good people running it.
56. I buy expensive suits. They just look cheap on me.
57. You only get one mind and one body. And it’s got to last a lifetime.
58. The first rule of an investment is don’t lose money.
59. The second rule of an investment is don’t forget the first rule.
60. Nobody is perfect, and if you try to be perfect, you will fail.
61. The best thing I did was to choose the right heroes.
62. If you don’t know who you are, the stock market is an expensive place to find out.
63. Time is the friend of the wonderful company, the enemy of the mediocre.
64. It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.
65. The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect.
66. You can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.
67. What counts for most people in investing is how they behave, not how much intelligence they have.
68. The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.
69. If you aren’t willing to own a stock for ten years, don’t even think about owning it for ten minutes.
70. It’s better to be approximately right than precisely wrong.
71. The best chance to deploy capital is when things are going down.
72. You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.
73. Good businesses are the ones that can survive and thrive in a bad economy.
74. Never invest in a business you cannot understand.
75. The most important investment you can make is in yourself.
76. The best thing a human being can do is to help another human being know more.
77. When you combine ignorance and leverage, you get some pretty interesting results.
78. The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade.
79. 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.
80. Look for companies with strong economic moats.
81. The business schools reward difficult complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective.
82. You can’t make a good deal with a bad person.
83. The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.
84. You should invest in a business that even a fool can run because someday a fool will.
85. Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the subway.
86. The best thing you can do is to get yourself a good education.
87. Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.
88. You don’t have to be smarter than the rest. You have to be more disciplined than the rest.
89. The most important thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging.
90. The best way to measure your investing success is not by whether you’re beating the market but by whether you’ve put in place a financial plan and a behavioral discipline that are likely to get you where you want to go.
91. It’s better to buy a great company at a fair price than a fair company at a great price.
92. Never depend on a single income. Make an investment to create a second source.
93. The business schools reward difficult complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective.
94. People who don’t know what they’re doing often do it with great confidence.
95. The best investment you can make is in your own abilities.
96. You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.
97. It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.
98. The best thing a human being can do is to help another human being know more.
99. The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.
100. The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect.
101. The best chance to deploy capital is when things are going down.
102. You don’t need to be a genius to invest well.
103. The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade.
104. You can’t make a good deal with a bad person.
105. The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.
106. You should invest in a business that even a fool can run because someday a fool will.
107. The best thing you can do is to get yourself a good education.
108. You don’t have to be smarter than the rest; you have to be more disciplined than the rest.
109. The most important thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging.
110. The best way to measure your investing success is not by whether you’re beating the market but by whether you’ve put in place a financial plan and a behavioral discipline that are likely to get you where you want to go.
111. It’s better to buy a great company at a fair price than a fair company at a great price.
112. Never depend on a single income. Make an investment to create a second source.
113. The best investment you can make is in your own abilities.
114. The best thing a human being can do is to help another human being know more.
115. You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.
116. The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.
117. The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect.
118. The best chance to deploy capital is when things are going down.
119. You don’t need to be a genius to invest well.
120. The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade.
121. You can’t make a good deal with a bad person.
122. The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.
123. You should invest in a business that even a fool can run because someday a fool will.
124. The best thing you can do is to get yourself a good education.
125. You don’t have to be smarter than the rest; you have to be more disciplined than the rest.
126. The most important thing to do if you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging.
127. The best way to measure your investing success is not by whether you’re beating the market but by whether you’ve put in place a financial plan and a behavioral discipline that are likely to get you where you want to go.
Conclusion
Warren Buffett’s quotes offer a treasure trove of wisdom that transcends investing and business. His principles emphasize patience, discipline, integrity, and lifelong learning. By embracing these insights, anyone can cultivate a mindset geared toward success and resilience. Whether you’re an investor, entrepreneur, or simply seeking guidance in life, Buffett’s words provide clear and practical advice to help navigate challenges and seize opportunities. Let these 120+ quotes inspire you to think wisely, act prudently, and pursue your goals with confidence.
