Often called the “Oracle of Omaha”, Warren Buffett is widely regarded as a prodigious thinker and one of the most successful investors in the world. With a net worth of $151.6 billion, Buffett stands apart from many billionaires for his modest lifestyle, plain-spoken wisdom, and refusal to equate wealth with fulfilment.
Known globally for his value investing principles and wisdom, Warren Buffett has often said that money is a byproduct, not the purpose, of a well-lived life. Across decades of interviews, shareholder letters, and public speeches, Buffett has returned to simple ideas—integrity, patience, curiosity, and humility to build what he calls a well-lived life.
Following Buffett’s retirement from the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Berkshire Hathaway that marks the end of an extraordinary era in business and investing history. We take a gander at a list of some of his most memorable quotes on life, each offering insight that extends far beyond balance sheets and stock prices.
1 “The most important investment you can make is in yourself.”
Coming straight from one of the world’s most successful investors, this piece of advice really underscores Buffet’s sentiment on lifelong learning. A habitual reader, Buffet used to spend roughly 80% of his time reading.
2 “Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.”
One of the most disciplined investors across the Globe, Buffet is known for discovering bombing stocks during opportune windows and sticking with them through the thick and thin. With a career spanning 6 decades, Buffet’s journey is an example of how slow and steady wins the race.
On reading and thinking
A stern advocate for the practices of routine reading and strategic thinking, Buffet has previously laid out the following advice for the youngsters looking to make it big in the realm of business.
3 “I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think. That is very uncommon in American business. I read and think. So, I do more reading and thinking, and make less impulse decisions than most people in business.”
4 “It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behaviour is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.”
On Work, Life and Happiness
As an individual who really enjoyed working and even filed his first income tax return at the age of 13, Buffet has long advised youngsters to pick the profession that they are passionate about. Some of his following quotes really underscore his sentiment on the matter. He also cautioned people to pick their associates and friends wisely.
5 “The happiest people do the things they love.”
6 “No matter how great the talent or efforts, some things just take time. You can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.”
7 “Honesty is a very expensive gift. Don’t expect it from cheap people.”
8 “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.”
A known philanthropist, Buffet had an extremely good grasp of the privileges that he was born with and often attributed some part of his success to them. Being aware of the wider inequalities in society, he advised billionaires to work towards bridging the gap.
9 “If you’re in the luckiest one percent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 percent.”
10 “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
Future of Berkshire Hathaway
A renowned philanthropist, Buffet has given much of his wealth away through charitable organisations such as the Gates foundation. Warren Buffett retired as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Berkshire Hathaway on December 31, 2025. He had announced his intention to step down at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in May 2025.
While the leadership transition has been carefully planned for years (Abel was publicly named as successor in 2021), the post-Buffett era will test whether Berkshire can maintain its unique culture and long-term investing philosophy without his day-to-day operational guidance.
Buffett presently remains actively involved with the company as the Chairman of the board and a controlling shareholder to ensure continuity and offer advice when asked.
