The world of Wall Street can be an intense and serious place. Fortunes are gained and lost on every tick of the market. Sometimes the public perception of the successful stock trader is closer to a ruthless, cold-hearted shark than a charming, soft-spoken, laid-back gentleman such as Warren Buffett.
By listening to Buffett’s often witty and humble interviews, it might be hard to guess that he is the third-wealthiest man in the world. Buffett once again shared his humor in his recent annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE: BRK-A)(NYSE: BRK-B) shareholders.
Berkshire added nearly 10,000 employees in 2014. “The increase, I am proud to say, included no gain at headquarters (where 25 people work). No sense going crazy,” Buffett joked.
Here’s a list of 10 Warren Buffett quotes that show off both the billionaire’s insight and his lighter side.
1. “I buy expensive suits. They just look cheap on me.”
2. “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.”
3. “Wall Street is the only place that people ride to work in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the subway.”
4. “We believe that according the name ‘investors’ to institutions that trade actively is like calling someone who repeatedly engages in one-night stands a ‘romantic.'”
5. “A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought.”
6. “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.”
7. “Of the billionaires I have known, money just brings out the basic traits in them. If they were jerks before they had money, they are simply jerks with a billion dollars.”
8. “Beware of geeks bearing formulas.”
9. “If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians.”
10. “I sent one email in my life. I sent it to Jeff Raikes at Microsoft, and it ended up in court in Minneapolis, so I am one for one.”
Read this article and all my other articles for free on Benzinga by clicking here
Want to learn more about the stock market? Or maybe you just want to be able to look sophisticated in front of your coworkers when they ask you what you are reading on your Kindle, and you’d prefer to tell them “Oh, I’m just reading a book about stock market analysis,” rather than the usual “Oh, I’m just looking at pics of my ex-girlfriend on Facebook.” For these reasons and more, check out my book, Beating Wall Street with Common Sense. I don’t have a degree in finance; I have a degree in neuroscience. You don’t have to predict what stocks will do if you can predict what traders will do and be one step ahead of them. I made a 400% return in the stock market over five years using only basic principles of psychology and common sense. Beating Wall Street with Common Sense is now available on Amazon, and tradingcommonsense.com is always available on your local internet!