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Quotes

8 quotes. We only show quotes that have been traced to a primary text or a careful quote investigation. Popular quotes that are misattributed, disputed or not yet traced are left out on purpose.

• "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good."

  Gordon Gekko (fictional) Verified
  Line from the film Wall Street (1987), written by Stanley Weiser and Oliver Stone; inspired in part by an Ivan Boesky speech (1986). source

• "There is nothing new in Wall Street. There can't be because speculation is as old as the hills."

  Jesse Livermore Verified
  Spoken by the narrator in Edwin Lefèvre's Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (1923), a fictionalised account; the words are Lefèvre's text, not a direct Livermore statement. source

• "October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks in. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February."

  Mark Twain Verified
  From Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), chapter 13 epigraph. source

• "Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful."

  Warren Buffett Verified
  Berkshire Hathaway 1986 shareholder letter ("...simply to attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful"). source

• "Our favorite holding period is forever."

  Warren Buffett Verified
  Berkshire 1988 letter. source

• "Price is what you pay; value is what you get."

  Warren Buffett Verified
  Berkshire Hathaway 2008 letter, where Buffett credits Ben Graham with the idea ("Long ago, Ben Graham taught me..."). source

• "Speculation is most dangerous when it looks easiest."

  Warren Buffett Verified
  Berkshire 2000 letter. source

• "You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out."

  Warren Buffett Verified
  Berkshire 2001 letter. source

Last checked: 2026-11-04 · Plain links, no affiliate IDs. Inclusion is not an endorsement. Educational, not financial advice.

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