50 Warren Buffett Quotes That Will Change Your Life

Introduction

Quotes have a unique power: in a single sentence they can shift perspective, sharpen focus, and spark action. Warren Buffett's words combine common-sense clarity with decades of investing and life experience, making them perfect for moments when you need motivation, discipline, or a reality check. Use these quotes when planning your day, making decisions, staying patient during setbacks, or sharing a quick boost with friends and colleagues.

Motivational quotes

• "Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No.2: Never forget Rule No.1."
• "The best investment you can make is in yourself. The more you learn, the more you'll earn."
• "You only have to do a few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong."
• "We don't have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest."
• "There's no magic to it. If you don't do something stupid, you have a pretty good chance."
• "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."
• "Read 500 pages like this every day. That's how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest."
• "You do things when the opportunities come along."
• "The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything."

Inspirational quotes

• "Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful."
• "Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
• "I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute."
• "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it."
• "Honesty is a very expensive gift. Don't expect it from cheap people."
• "It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours."
• "We enjoy the process far more than the proceeds."
• "A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought."
• "The best chance to deploy capital is when things are going south."

Life wisdom quotes

• "Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken."
• "Time is the friend of the wonderful company, the enemy of the mediocre."
• "If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians."
• "Predicting rain doesn't count, building arks does."
• "What we learn from history is that people don't learn from history."
• "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it." (relevant life warning)
• "If you aren't willing to own a stock for ten years, don't even think about owning it for ten minutes."
• "You can't produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant."

Success & Investing quotes

• "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 buy something that you'd be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for ten years."
• "The stock market is designed to transfer money from the active to the patient."
• "Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing."
• "Opportunities come infrequently. When it rains gold, put out the bucket, not the thimble."
• "Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it."
• "Buy not on optimism, but on arithmetic."
• "If a business does well, the stock eventually follows."
• "The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect."

Happiness & Habits quotes

• "You can't make a good deal with a bad person."
• "The business schools reward difficult complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective."
• "There's class warfare, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning."
• "When you combine ignorance and leverage, you get some pretty interesting results."
• "Don't take yearly results too seriously. Instead, focus on four or five-year averages."
• "Beware the investment activity that produces applause; the great moves are usually greeted by yawns."
• "Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken." (a reminder about daily choices)

Daily inspiration quotes

• "In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield."
• "Forecasts may tell you a great deal about the forecaster; they tell you nothing about the future."
• "Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked."
• "I don't look to jump over 7-foot bars; I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over."
• "You can't make a good deal with someone you can't trust."
• "Read 500 pages like this every day. That's how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest." (daily ritual)
• "We enjoy the process far more than the proceeds." (find joy in the work)

Conclusion

Words from someone who has lived—and succeeded—through decades of highs and lows can be practical catalysts for change. Warren Buffett's quotes blend discipline, patience, and common sense; read them, reflect on one each morning, or post a favorite where you'll see it daily. Small shifts in thinking, reinforced every day, can transform your decisions, habits, and long-term life outcomes.