--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Investing isn't about beating others at…" description: "\"Investing isn't about beating others at their game. It's about controlling yourself at your own game.\" — Benjamin Graham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/benjamin-graham-1531_games_investing-isn-t-about-beating-others-at_1649245.jpg" --- # Investing isn't about beating others at their game. It's… ![“Investing isn't about beating others at their game. It's about controlling yourself at your own game.” quote by Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/benjamin-graham-1531_games_investing-isn-t-about-beating-others-at_1649245.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/benjamin-graham-1531_games_investing-isn-t-about-beating-others-at_1649245.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/benjamin-graham-1531_games_investing-isn-t-about-beating-others-at_1649245.jpg) > “Investing isn't about beating others at their game. It's about controlling yourself at your own game.” [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Investing is a personal discipline; success comes from self‑control, not out‑performing others. **In simple terms:** Control yourself, not the market. Key Takeaway Focus on personal strategy and discipline. Themes investing self‑discipline strategy personal finance Mood pragmatic educational Type financial self‑help When to use this quote - stock selection - retirement savings - budgeting - market analysis Key Concepts value investing behavioral economics risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure personal progress in investing? - What self‑limits protect you from overtrading? A Different Perspective Markets can tempt you to compare and compete. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Controlling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlling/) [Controlling Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlling-game-635061/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Game Controlling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-controlling-635062/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investing Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing-isn-635060/) ## Related quotes > [If life just a Game ! Then who's controlling it ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milliton-munney/if-life-just-a-game-then-who-s-controlling-it/) [Milliton MUNNEY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milliton-munney/) > [Investing isn’t risky; not being in control is risky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/investing-isn-t-risky-not-being-in-control-is-risky/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Investing isn't a game to be won. At the end of the day, it's a way to achieve your big goals, like buying that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallie-krawcheck/investing-isn-t-a-game-to-be-won-at-the-end-of-the-day-it-s-a-way-to/) [Sallie Krawcheck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallie-krawcheck/) > [For me, seed investing isn't just a good return area but a big part of how we network in Silicon Valley. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/for-me-seed-investing-isn-t-just-a-good-return-area-but-a-big-part-of/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-intelligent-investor-is-a-realist-who-sells-to-optimists-and-buys/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Intelligent investment is more a matter of mental approach than it is of technique. A sound mental approach toward stock fluctuations is the touchstone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/intelligent-investment-is-more-a-matter-of-mental-approach-than-it-is/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [The essence of investment management is the management of risks, not the management of returns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-essence-of-investment-management-is-the-management-of-risks-not/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [The art of investment has one characteristic that is not generally appreciated. A creditable, if unspectacular, result can be achieved by the lay investor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-art-of-investment-has-one-characteristic-that-is-not-generally/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Disregarding the big swing and trying to jump in and out was fatal to me. Nobody can catch all the fluctuations. In a bull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-lauriston-livermore/disregarding-the-big-swing-and-trying-to-jump-in-and-out-was-fatal-to/) [Jesse Lauriston Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-lauriston-livermore/) > [Trading is a waiting game. You sit, you wait, and you make a lot of money all at once. Profits come in bunches. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-covel/trading-is-a-waiting-game-you-sit-you-wait-and-you-make-a-lot-of/) [Michael Covel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-covel/) > [Borrowing money on what's called 'easy terms,' is a one-way ticket to the Poor House. If you think it ain't a Sucker Game, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/borrowing-money-on-what-s-called-easy-terms-is-a-one-way-ticket-to/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Reflecting an amalgam of economics, monetary, and psychological factors, the stock market represents possibly the most subtly intricate game invented by man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-arnold-epstein/reflecting-an-amalgam-of-economics-monetary-and-psychological-factors/) [Richard Arnold Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-arnold-epstein/) > [The market is like a machine that needs to be constantly excited. It needs to constantly produce wealth and more excitement. There are some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurizio-cattelan/the-market-is-like-a-machine-that-needs-to-be-constantly-excited-it/) [Maurizio Cattelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurizio-cattelan/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) ## More by Benjamin Graham > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [There is something paradoxical in the fact that by establishing an export market we subject our entire domestic production to the vagaries of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/there-is-something-paradoxical-in-the-fact-that-by-establishing-an/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Those with the enterprise lack the money and those with the money lack the enterprise to buy stocks when they are cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/those-with-the-enterprise-lack-the-money-and-those-with-the-money/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [It must be fundamentally wrong to reduce production of food and fiber while one-third of our population is still ill fed and ill clothed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/it-must-be-fundamentally-wrong-to-reduce-production-of-food-and-fiber/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-intelligent-investor-is-a-realist-who-sells-to-optimists-and-buys/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Intelligent investment is more a matter of mental approach than it is of technique. A sound mental approach toward stock fluctuations is the touchstone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/intelligent-investment-is-more-a-matter-of-mental-approach-than-it-is/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Many progressive economists insist that gold is now in essentially the same position as silver and that the arguments the simon-pure gold advocates use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/many-progressive-economists-insist-that-gold-is-now-in-essentially/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [The art of investment has one characteristic that is not generally appreciated. A creditable, if unspectacular, result can be achieved by the lay investor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-art-of-investment-has-one-characteristic-that-is-not-generally/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [We have not known a single person who has consistently or lastingly make money by thus "following the market". We do not hesitate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/we-have-not-known-a-single-person-who-has-consistently-or-lastingly/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [The essence of investment management is the management of risks, not the management of returns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-essence-of-investment-management-is-the-management-of-risks-not/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Wall Street people learn nothing and forget everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/wall-street-people-learn-nothing-and-forget-everything/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [In security analysis the prime stress is laid upon protection against untoward events. We obtain this protection by insisting upon margins of safety, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/in-security-analysis-the-prime-stress-is-laid-upon-protection-against/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Never buy a stock immediately after a substantial rise or sell one immediately after a substantial drop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/never-buy-a-stock-immediately-after-a-substantial-rise-or-sell-one/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Observation over many years has taught us that the chief losses to investors come from the purchase of low-quality securities at times of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/observation-over-many-years-has-taught-us-that-the-chief-losses-to/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [No matter how careful you are, the one risk no investor can ever eliminate is the risk of being wrong. Only by insisting on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/no-matter-how-careful-you-are-the-one-risk-no-investor-can-ever/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) [Explore all 229 Benjamin Graham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) ## More Controlling quotes > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [When you have solved the problem of controlling the attention of the child, you have solved the entire problem of its education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/when-you-have-solved-the-problem-of-controlling-the-attention-of-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“I hope I can never trust my wife. If I trust her it means I know her. If I know her it means I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mitchell/i-hope-i-can-never-trust-my-wife-if-i-trust-her-it-means-i-know-her/) [Ben Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mitchell/) > [We're failing when it comes to controlling spending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/we-re-failing-when-it-comes-to-controlling-spending/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [There's so many things you can't account for that can happen during each race. I just focus on controlling what I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-elliott/there-s-so-many-things-you-can-t-account-for-that-can-happen-during/) [Chase Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-elliott/) > [Because I was a shy and awkward child, I used humour to deflect attention. It was a controlling mechanism. Because I could use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-tate/because-i-was-a-shy-and-awkward-child-i-used-humour-to-deflect/) [Catherine Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-tate/) > [It only lasted 4months but those months were intense, we were amazing 2 begin with, then we were in deep & nearer the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-shipman/it-only-lasted-4months-but-those-months-were-intense-we-were-amazing/) [Samantha Shipman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-shipman/) > [I do have a temper, but am good at controlling it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-do-have-a-temper-but-am-good-at-controlling-it/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [When a person feels powerless in regard to controlling his life, he can defend against the discomfort of such an experience by asserting control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-nicholas-groth/when-a-person-feels-powerless-in-regard-to-controlling-his-life-he/) [A. Nicholas Groth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-nicholas-groth/) > [Shift your focus from controlling others to creating your own happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/shift-your-focus-from-controlling-others-to-creating-your-own/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [“I am not a thing to be controlled by you,' Nesta said icily. Everything in her life, from the moment she was born, had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/i-am-not-a-thing-to-be-controlled-by-you-nesta-said-icily-everything/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“It comforts us to think that we have control when we don’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/it-comforts-us-to-think-that-we-have-control-when-we-don-t/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [I try and not be the controlling woman I can probably be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-tedeschi/i-try-and-not-be-the-controlling-woman-i-can-probably-be/) [Susan Tedeschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-tedeschi/) > [My father was actually controlling and abusive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vidya-vox/my-father-was-actually-controlling-and-abusive/) [Vidya Vox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vidya-vox/) > [Look at what happened in the 1990s: when they balanced the federal budget, it was through growth in the economy and controlling spending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-scalise/look-at-what-happened-in-the-1990s-when-they-balanced-the-federal/) [Steve Scalise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-scalise/) [Browse all 401 Controlling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Investing isn't about beating others at their game. 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