“Our job is to find a few intelligent things to do, not to keep up with every damn thing in the world.”

The average result has to be the average result. By definition, everybody can’t beat the market. As I always say, the iron rule of life is that only 20% of the people can be in the top fifth. That’s just the way it is.

To me, it’s obvious that the winner has to bet very selectively. It’s been obvious to me since very early in life. I don’t know why it’s not obvious to very many other people.

Never, ever, think about something else when you should be thinking about the power of incentives.

Common stock investors can make money by predicting the outcomes of practice evolution. You can’t derive this by fundamental analysis – you must think biologically.

When you locate a bargain, you must ask, ‘Why me, God? Why am I the only one who could find this bargain?’

All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there.

Go to bed smarter than when you woke up.

Investing is where you find a few great companies and then sit on your ass.

Spend less than you make; always be saving something. Put it into a tax-deferred account. Over time, it will begin to amount to something. This is such a no-brainer.

Your life must focus on the maximization of objectivity.

I like people admitting they were complete stupid horses’ asses. I know I’ll perform better if I rub my nose in my mistakes. This is a wonderful trick to learn.

The safest way to get what you want is to deserve what you want.

Our experience tends to confirm a long-held notion that being prepared, on a few occasions in a lifetime, to act promptly in scale, in doing some simple and logical thing, will often dramatically improve the financial results of that lifetime.

To the man with only a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

There are worse situations than drowning in cash and sitting, sitting, sitting. I remember when I wasn’t awash in cash — and I don’t want to go back.

Why should it be easy to do something that, if done well, two or three times, will make your family rich for life?

Never forget that intelligence rules the world and ignorance carry the burden. Therefore, remove yourself as far as possible from ignorance and seek as far as possible to be intelligent.

Intelligence rules the world, ignorance carries the burden.

Until thought is linked with purpose there is no intelligent accomplishment.

So far as I can remember there is not one word in the gospels in praise of intelligence.

A man is rational in proportion as his intelligence informs and controls his desires.

To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present, very few people have reached this level.

The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.

Money glitters, beauty sparkles and intelligence shines.