The pursuit of wealth (and then figuring out how to keep it when successful) has a long history. The wide-ranging insights below are offered without commentary. However, where additional context is available a good source has been recommended on the pundit or their life. I have read all of the books suggested.
Solon
Circa 600 BC
Athenian statesman
“The observation of the numerous misfortunes that attend all conditions forbids us to grow insolent upon our present enjoyment, or to admire a man’s happiness that may yet, in the course of time, suffer change.”
(Nassim Taleb translates this into the vernacular by quoting Yogi Berra, “it ain’t over until it’s over” in Fooled By Randomness, 2001)
Leonardo da Vinci
1452-1519
“Do not undertake things if you see that you will have to suffer in case you do not succeed.”
“Trust only those who have exercised their minds not on proofs of nature but on the results of their own experiments.”
Jacob Fugger
1459-1525
Estimated net worth in current dollars: $400,000,000,000
(J.D. Rockefeller clocked-in at only $340,000,000,000)
“When I go to bed, I face no obstacles to sleep. I remove with my shirt all the cares of battles and business.”
“I will earn a profit as long as I can.”
“Land endures.”
For more:
The Richest Man Who Ever Lived, Greg Steinmetz, 2015
Jesse Livermore
1877-1940
Netted $3,000,000 in the 1929 market crash.
(Went bankrupt twice before and after 1929)
Cut your losses quickly.
“If a trader doesn’t know his exit before he takes the entry, he might as well go to the racetrack or casino where at least the odds can be quantified.”
Let profits ride until price action dictates otherwise.
“It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting.”
Control your emotions.
“All through time, people have basically acted and reacted the same way in the market as a result of: greed, fear, ignorance, and hope.”
“Buy all-time new highs.”
Walt Kelly
1913-1973
Cartoonist and creator of the comic strip, Pogo.
“We have met the enemy and they are us.”
Warren Buffett
Born 1930
“One investor’s two rules of investing:
- Never lose money.
- Never forget rule #1.”
“Concentrate your investments. If you have a harem of 40 women you never get to know any of them very well.”
George Soros
Born 1930
“Investors operate with limited funds and limited intelligence: They do not need to know everything. As long as they understand something better than others, they have an edge.”
“If I had to sum up my practical skills, I would use one word: Survival.”
For more:
Money Masters of Our Time, John Train, 2000
Robert Farrell
Born 1932
Chief Market Analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co. for 45 years
“Excesses in one direction will lead to an opposite excess in the other direction. Think of the market baseline as attached to a rubber string. Any action too far in one direction not only brings you back to the baseline, but leads to an overshoot in the opposite direction.”
“Fear and greed are stronger than long-term resolve. Investors can be their own worst enemy, particularly when emotions take hold.”
“When all the experts and forecasts agree — something else is going to happen.”
As Stovall, the S&P investment strategist, puts it: “If everybody’s optimistic, who is left to buy? If everybody’s pessimistic, who’s left to sell?”
Michael Steinhardt
Born 1940
Considered one of the most successful hedge fund managers of all time.
“Make all your mistakes early in life: The more tough lessons you learn early on, the fewer (bigger) errors you make later. A common mistake of all young investors is to be too trusting with brokers, analysts, and newsletters who are trying to sell you something.”
“Don’t make small investments: You only have so much time and energy when you put your money in play. So, if you’re going to put money at risk, make sure the reward is high enough to justify it.”
For more: More Money Than God, Sebastian Mallaby, 2010
Jim Paul
1943-2001
Investor and author of What I Learned Losing A Million Dollars, 1994
“There is an inverse relationship between your threshold for pain and success in the markets, so as soon as you feel the pain: get out.”
Paul Tudor Jones
Born 1954
Hedge Fund Manager and founder of the Robin Hood Foundation
“I am always thinking about losing money as opposed to making money.”
“No matter how you cut it, there are enormous emotional ups and downs involved.”
For more:
More Money Than God, Sebastian Mallaby, 2010
Now, who and what can you add to this list? Leave your comments below…
Great Ones Chris. The only one I can think of is from Steve Martin. “How do you make $10 Million ?,First you get a $1 Million.”