Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors in history. Today, he has an estimated net worth of over $70 billion, making him the third richest man in the world.
From drinking Coke for breakfast to carrying around an old-school flip phone, Buffett has always done things his way.
We compiled a few of his best quotes to take you inside his head:
Separate yourself from the noise
“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. I do it because I like this kind of life.”
Source: Wiley
Always know who you’re dealing with
“You can’t make a good deal with a bad person.”
Source: Forbes
Act with integrity
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Source: Time
Keep it simple
“It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.”
Source: The Motley Fool
You don’t have to be a genius to invest well
“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.”
Source: Warren Buffett Speaks, via msnbc.msn
Pick the right crowd
“It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.”
Source: The Motley Fool
If you want to be successful, make reading a habit
“I just sit in my office and read all day.”
Source: The Week
Go against the crowd
“Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.”
Source: Letter to shareholders, 2004
Give to those less fortunate
“If you’re in the luckiest 1% of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99%.”
Source: Forbes
Some things take time
“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.”
Source: Forbes
Bad things aren’t obvious when times are good
“After all, you only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.”
Source: Letter to shareholders, 2001
Eat how you please
“If I eat 2,700 calories a day, a quarter of that is Coca-Cola. I drink at least five 12-ounce servings. I do it every day … I checked the actuarial tables, and the lowest death rate is among 6-year-olds. So I decided to eat like a 6-year-old.”
Source: Fortune, via Business Insider
Don’t forget business basics
“Price is what you pay; value is what you get.”
Source: Letter to shareholders, 2008
Success is not defined by a price tag or number
“I measure success by how many people love me.”
Source: James Altucher
Be confident
“I always knew I was going to be rich. I don’t think I ever doubted it for a minute.”
Source: goodreads
This article originally appeared on Business Insider
More from Business Insider:
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com