Markets
The 25 Best Warren Buffett Quotes in One Infographic
Warren Buffett is famous for his wit, and will likely go down in history as one of the most quotable and influential investors of all time.
With this week marking his 89th birthday, we thought it was a good time to highlight the 25 best Warren Buffett quotes accumulated through his lengthy and prestigious career.
The Warren Buffett Series
Part 5: Wisdom from the Oracle
Today’s infographic highlights the smartest and most insightful quotes from Buffett on investing, business, and life.
It’s the fifth and final part of the Warren Buffett Series, which we’ve done in partnership with finder.com, a personal finance site that helps people make better decisions – whether they want to find the right credit card or become the next big value investor.
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After sifting through hundreds of quotes from the Oracle of Omaha, we’ve chosen the best 25 of them and sorted them into a few select categories:
Keeping it Simple
Buffett is known for putting his money in “no-brainer” businesses (i.e. Coca-Cola) that are simple to run, with long-term competitive advantages.
| Buffett Quotes on Keeping It Simple | |
|---|---|
| #1 | “Never invest in a business you cannot understand.” |
| #2 | “I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over.” |
| #3 | “I try to buy stock in businesses that are so wonderful that an idiot can run them. Because sooner or later, one will.” |
| #4 | “A ham sandwich could run Coca-Cola." |
| #5 | “Beware of geeks bearing formulas.” |
| #6 | "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." |
| #7 | “Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule No.1” |
Temperament
For Buffett, how someone responds to different situations is far more important than their actual skills or knowledge level. Investors must not care what the crowd thinks, and they must be patient, focused, and decisive to maximize their potential.
| Buffett Quotes on Temperament | |
|---|---|
| #8 | "The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect. You need a temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the crowd or against the crowd." |
| #9 | “It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who has been swimming naked.” |
| #10 | “Our favorite holding period is forever.” |
| #11 | “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” |
| #12 | “An investor should act as though he had a lifetime decision card with just twenty punches on it.” |
Value
Buffett’s decision-making is driven by an assessment of value. Is the asset he is buying worth way more than it is currently being priced at by the fickle Mr. Market – if so, he’ll lay down his chips.
| Buffett Quotes on Value | |
|---|---|
| #13 | "Price is what you pay; value is what you get." |
| #14 | "Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful." |
| #15 | “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price, than a fair company at a wonderful price.” |
Conduct
A Midwestern gentleman, Buffett follows a simple and friendly style of business conduct, with deals often bounded by one’s promise or a simple handshake.
| Buffett Quotes on Conduct | |
|---|---|
| #16 | "You can't make a good deal with a bad person." |
| #17 | "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently." |
Perspective
At 89 years old, Buffett knows a thing or two about business and life. As a result, he’s developed some unique perspectives.
| Buffett Quotes on Perspective | |
|---|---|
| #18 | “In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.” |
| #19 | “If past history was all that is needed to play the game of money, the richest people would be librarians.” |
| #20 | “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” |
| #21 | "In my view, derivatives are financial weapons of mass destruction, carrying dangers that, while now latent, are potentially lethal." |
Life and Success
How did he build such a successful career, and how does one man generate so much wisdom?
| Buffett Quotes on Life and Success | |
|---|---|
| #22 | “The most important investment you can make is in yourself.” |
| #23 | “If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don’t care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster.” |
| #24 | "I do more reading and thinking, and make less impulse decisions than most people in business. I do it because I like this kind of life." |
| #25 | "My life couldn't be happier. In fact, it'd be worse if I had six or eight houses. So, I have everything I need to have, and I don't need any more." |
With $89.5 billion to his name, Warren Buffett is not only known for his self-made wealth and investing acumen, but also his wit and quotability. We hope this selection of the best Warren Buffett quotes helps you think about life and investing differently, and that the legendary investor continues to share his wisdom with the world.
Want more Buffett?
Don’t forget to check out the other parts of our Buffett infographic series:
Markets
The European Stock Market: Attractive Valuations Offer Opportunities
On average, the European stock market has valuations that are nearly 50% lower than U.S. valuations. But how can you access the market?
European Stock Market: Attractive Valuations Offer Opportunities
Europe is known for some established brands, from L’Oréal to Louis Vuitton. However, the European stock market offers additional opportunities that may be lesser known.
The above infographic, sponsored by STOXX, outlines why investors may want to consider European stocks.
Attractive Valuations
Compared to most North American and Asian markets, European stocks offer lower or comparable valuations.
| Index | Price-to-Earnings Ratio | Price-to-Book Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| EURO STOXX 50 | 14.9 | 2.2 |
| STOXX Europe 600 | 14.4 | 2 |
| U.S. | 25.9 | 4.7 |
| Canada | 16.1 | 1.8 |
| Japan | 15.4 | 1.6 |
| Asia Pacific ex. China | 17.1 | 1.8 |
Data as of February 29, 2024. See graphic for full index names. Ratios based on trailing 12 month financials. The price to earnings ratio excludes companies with negative earnings.
On average, European valuations are nearly 50% lower than U.S. valuations, potentially offering an affordable entry point for investors.
Research also shows that lower price ratios have historically led to higher long-term returns.
Market Movements Not Closely Connected
Over the last decade, the European stock market had low-to-moderate correlation with North American and Asian equities.
The below chart shows correlations from February 2014 to February 2024. A value closer to zero indicates low correlation, while a value of one would indicate that two regions are moving in perfect unison.
| EURO STOXX 50 | STOXX EUROPE 600 | U.S. | Canada | Japan | Asia Pacific ex. China |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EURO STOXX 50 | 1.00 | 0.97 | 0.55 | 0.67 | 0.24 | 0.43 |
| STOXX EUROPE 600 | 1.00 | 0.56 | 0.71 | 0.28 | 0.48 | |
| U.S. | 1.00 | 0.73 | 0.12 | 0.25 | ||
| Canada | 1.00 | 0.22 | 0.40 | |||
| Japan | 1.00 | 0.88 | ||||
| Asia Pacific ex. China | 1.00 |
Data is based on daily USD returns.
European equities had relatively independent market movements from North American and Asian markets. One contributing factor could be the differing sector weights in each market. For instance, technology makes up a quarter of the U.S. market, but health care and industrials dominate the broader European market.
Ultimately, European equities can enhance portfolio diversification and have the potential to mitigate risk for investors.
Tracking the Market
For investors interested in European equities, STOXX offers a variety of flagship indices:
| Index | Description | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|
| STOXX Europe 600 | Pan-regional, broad market | €10.5T |
| STOXX Developed Europe | Pan-regional, broad-market | €9.9T |
| STOXX Europe 600 ESG-X | Pan-regional, broad market, sustainability focus | €9.7T |
| STOXX Europe 50 | Pan-regional, blue-chip | €5.1T |
| EURO STOXX 50 | Eurozone, blue-chip | €3.5T |
Data is as of February 29, 2024. Market cap is free float, which represents the shares that are readily available for public trading on stock exchanges.
The EURO STOXX 50 tracks the Eurozone’s biggest and most traded companies. It also underlies one of the world’s largest ranges of ETFs and mutual funds. As of November 2023, there were €27.3 billion in ETFs and €23.5B in mutual fund assets under management tracking the index.
“For the past 25 years, the EURO STOXX 50 has served as an accurate, reliable and tradable representation of the Eurozone equity market.”
— Axel Lomholt, General Manager at STOXX
Partnering with STOXX to Track the European Stock Market
Are you interested in European equities? STOXX can be a valuable partner:
- Comprehensive, liquid and investable ecosystem
- European heritage, global reach
- Highly sophisticated customization capabilities
- Open architecture approach to using data
- Close partnerships with clients
- Part of ISS STOXX and Deutsche Börse Group
With a full suite of indices, STOXX can help you benchmark against the European stock market.
Learn how STOXX’s European indices offer liquid and effective market access.
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