---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The intelligent investor gets interested…"
description: "\"The intelligent investor gets interested in big growth stocks not when they are at their most popular - but when something goes wrong.\" — Benjamin Graham"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f3/benjamin-graham-1531_bigs_the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested_897419.jpg"
---

#  The intelligent investor gets interested in big growth…

![“The intelligent investor gets interested in big growth stocks not when they are at their most popular - but when something goes wrong.” quote by Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f3/benjamin-graham-1531_bigs_the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested_897419.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f3/benjamin-graham-1531_bigs_the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested_897419.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f3/benjamin-graham-1531_bigs_the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested_897419.jpg)

> “The intelligent investor gets interested in big growth stocks not when they are at their most popular - but when something goes wrong.”

[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.

Investors should seek out growth stocks when they are undervalued or in trouble, not when they are popular.

**In simple terms:** Buy growth stocks when they’re down, not when they’re hype.

Key Takeaway

Look for value in distressed opportunities.

Themes

investment strategy value investing contrarian thinking risk assessment

Mood

analytical cautious

Type

financial educational

When to use this quote

- stock selection
- portfolio diversification
- financial planning
- risk management

Key Concepts

market cycles behavioral finance opportunity cost

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you assess the true value of a struggling company?
- What safeguards can protect against excessive risk?

A Different Perspective

It may ignore the risk of further decline in troubled stocks.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Growth Stocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth-stocks-1208606/) [Intelligent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent/) [Intelligent Investor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent-investor-885060/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investor/) [Investor Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investor-gets-787196/) [Investors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investors/) [Stocks Popular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stocks-popular-1208607/)

## Related quotes

> [An intelligent investor gets satisfaction from the thought that his operations are exactly opposite to those of the crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/an-intelligent-investor-gets-satisfaction-from-the-thought-that-his/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [If you're looking for investment you've got to think about what the investor gets from being involved with your business. A lot of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meaden/if-you-re-looking-for-investment-you-ve-got-to-think-about-what-the/)

[Deborah Meaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meaden/)

> [The intelligent investor is likely to need considerable will power to keep from following the crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-intelligent-investor-is-likely-to-need-considerable-will-power-to/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [In an ideal world, the intelligent investor would hold stocks only when they are cheap and sell them when they become overpriced, then duck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/in-an-ideal-world-the-intelligent-investor-would-hold-stocks-only/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [The intelligent investor shouldn't ignore Mr. Market entirely. Instead, you should do business with him- but only to the extent that it serves your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-intelligent-investor-shouldn-t-ignore-mr-market-entirely-instead/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [Losing some money is an inevitable part of investing, and there's nothing you can do to prevent it. But to be an intelligent investor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/losing-some-money-is-an-inevitable-part-of-investing-and-there-s/)

[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/)

> [The reader can test his own psychology by asking himself whether he would consider, in retrospect, the selling at 156 in 1925 and buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-reader-can-test-his-own-psychology-by-asking-himself-whether-he/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [“An intelligent investor sees an opportunity in dip than risk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohith-agadi/an-intelligent-investor-sees-an-opportunity-in-dip-than-risk/)

[Mohith Agadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohith-agadi/)

> [The market is a pendulum that forever swings between unsustainable optimism (which makes stocks too expensive) and unjustified pessimism (which makes them too cheap).…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-market-is-a-pendulum-that-forever-swings-between-unsustainable/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Traditionally the investor has been the man with patience and the courage of his convictions who would buy when the harried or disheartened speculator…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/traditionally-the-investor-has-been-the-man-with-patience-and-the/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [An investor calculates what a stock is worth, based on the value of its businesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/an-investor-calculates-what-a-stock-is-worth-based-on-the-value-of/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [The determining trait of the enterprising (or active, or aggressive) investor is his willingness to devote time and care to the selection of securities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-determining-trait-of-the-enterprising-or-active-or-aggressive/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [The defensive (or passive) investor will place chief emphasis on the avoidance of serious mistakes or losses. His second aim will be freedom from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-defensive-or-passive-investor-will-place-chief-emphasis-on-the/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [A defensive investor can always prosper by looking patiently and calmly through the wreckage of a bear market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/a-defensive-investor-can-always-prosper-by-looking-patiently-and/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

## 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 Bigs quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/)

[Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/)

[Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/)

> [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/)

[Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/)

> [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/)

[Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/)

> [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/)

[Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/)

> [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/)

[Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/)

> [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/)

[Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/)

> [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/)

[Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/)

> [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/)

[Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/)

[Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The intelligent investor gets interested in big growth stocks not when they are at their most popular - but when something goes wrong.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Benjamin Graham"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested-in-big-growth-stocks-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bigs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested-in-big-growth-stocks-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f3/benjamin-graham-1531_bigs_the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested_897419.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f3/benjamin-graham-1531_bigs_the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested_897419.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f3/benjamin-graham-1531_bigs_the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested_897419.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The intelligent investor gets interested in big growth stocks not when they are at their most popular - but…” — Benjamin Graham",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Benjamin Graham",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The intelligent investor gets interested in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested-in-big-growth-stocks-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-intelligent-investor-gets-interested-in-big-growth-stocks-not/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
