I bought a company in the mid-'90s called Dexter Shoe and…
“I bought a company in the mid-'90s called Dexter Shoe and paid $400 million for it. And it went to zero. And I gave about $400 million worth of Berkshire stock, which is probably now worth $400 billion. But I've made lots of dumb decisions. That's part of the game.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
He invested heavily in a shoe company, lost the cash but kept valuable Berkshire stock, illustrating that big mistakes can still yield huge long‑term gains.
In simple terms: Mistakes can turn into massive opportunities.
Key Takeaway
Learn from errors and hold valuable assets.
Themes
investment
risk
long‑term thinking
Mood
reflective
pragmatic
Type
financial
educational
When to use this quote
- business decisions
- portfolio management
- risk assessment
Key Concepts
stock value
opportunity cost
learning from failure
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you protect against total loss?
- What assets can you hold through downturns?
A Different Perspective
Not all errors are recoverable; timing matters.