---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When somebody asserts that a stock has an…"
description: "\"When somebody asserts that a stock has an earning power of so much, I am sure that the person who hears him doesn't know what he means, and there is a ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/benjamin-graham-1531_chance_when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-a_2161171.jpg"
---

#  When somebody asserts that a stock has an earning power of…

![“When somebody asserts that a stock has an earning power of so much, I am sure that the person who hears him doesn't know what he means, and there is a good chance that the man who uses it doesn't know what it means.” quote by Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/benjamin-graham-1531_chance_when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-a_2161171.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/benjamin-graham-1531_chance_when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-a_2161171.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/benjamin-graham-1531_chance_when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-a_2161171.jpg)

> “When somebody asserts that a stock has an earning power of so much, I am sure that the person who hears him doesn't know what he means, and there is a good chance that the man who uses it doesn't know what it means.”

[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.

The speaker doubts that both the speaker and listener truly understand the concept of a stock's earning power.

**In simple terms:** People often misuse financial terms.

Key Takeaway

Seek clear understanding of financial metrics.

Themes

finance communication misunderstanding

Mood

analytical cautious

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- investment analysis
- financial education
- business meetings
- risk assessment

Key Concepts

economic literacy valuation critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you verify financial terms before using them?
- How can you ensure mutual understanding in finance discussions?

A Different Perspective

Complex concepts can be oversimplified, leading to errors.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Asserts Stock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asserts-stock-4586353/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Doesn Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-know/) [Earning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earning/) [Earning Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earning-power-306544/) [Good chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-chance/) [He man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he-man/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Somebody Asserts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somebody-asserts-4586355/) [Stock Earning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stock-earning-4586354/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/)

## Related quotes

> [Even when times were good, I realized that my earning power as a golf professional depended on too many ifs and putts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sarazen/even-when-times-were-good-i-realized-that-my-earning-power-as-a-golf/)

[Gene Sarazen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sarazen/)

> [Football is a short-lived career, and you have to maximise your earning power while you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-savage/football-is-a-short-lived-career-and-you-have-to-maximise-your/)

[Robbie Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-savage/)

> [ I judge property myself by its net earning power; that is the only rule I have been able to get… This whole island \[Manhattan\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-gould/i-judge-property-myself-by-its-net-earning-power-that-is-the-only/)

[Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-gould/)

> [If you want to pay off your debts, it pays to increase your earning power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/if-you-want-to-pay-off-your-debts-it-pays-to-increase-your-earning/)

[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/)

> [You enhance your chances for success when you understand that your yearning power is more important than your earning power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/you-enhance-your-chances-for-success-when-you-understand-that-your/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [Every day is a good chance to move forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-lindor/every-day-is-a-good-chance-to-move-forward/)

[Francisco Lindor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-lindor/)

> [If the size of your vision for your life isn't intimidating to you, there's a good chance it's insulting to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/if-the-size-of-your-vision-for-your-life-isn-t-intimidating-to-you/)

[Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/)

> [You saw him standing out there, and you knew you had a pretty damn good chance to win the baseball game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-ruffing/you-saw-him-standing-out-there-and-you-knew-you-had-a-pretty-damn/)

[Red Ruffing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-ruffing/)

> [Newspaper readership is declining like crazy. In fact, there's a good chance that nobody is reading my column.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/newspaper-readership-is-declining-like-crazy-in-fact-there-s-a-good/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [If someone is talking to you about someone else, there is a good chance they are talking to someone else about you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/if-someone-is-talking-to-you-about-someone-else-there-is-a-good/)

[Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/)

> [Anytime you have a difficult encounter with your child, there is a good chance that at least one of these factors is bringing out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-rindner-tempelsman/anytime-you-have-a-difficult-encounter-with-your-child-there-is-a/)

[Cathy Rindner Tempelsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-rindner-tempelsman/)

> [I always sort of thought, 'I'm probably going to get breast cancer. There's a really good chance.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-nixon/i-always-sort-of-thought-i-m-probably-going-to-get-breast-cancer/)

[Cynthia Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-nixon/)

> [Every lecture should state one main point and repeat it over and over, like a theme with variations. An audience is like a herd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gian-carlo-rota/every-lecture-should-state-one-main-point-and-repeat-it-over-and-over/)

[Gian-Carlo Rota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gian-carlo-rota/)

> [It's good in tennis that you don't have to be big or a tall guy to be good. Otherwise I had no chance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-goffin/it-s-good-in-tennis-that-you-don-t-have-to-be-big-or-a-tall-guy-to-be/)

[David Goffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-goffin/)

> [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/)

[Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/)

## 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 Chance quotes

> [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/)

[Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/)

> [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/)

[Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/)

> [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/)

[Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/)

> [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/)

[Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/)

[Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/)

> [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/)

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

> [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/)

[Alejandro Taubas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-taubas/)

> [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/)

[Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/)

> [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/)

[Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/)

> [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/)

[Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/)

[Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When somebody asserts that a stock has an earning power of so much, I am sure that the person who hears him doesn't know what he means, and there is a good chance that the man who uses it doesn't know what it means.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Benjamin Graham"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-an-earning-power-of-so-much-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-an-earning-power-of-so-much-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/benjamin-graham-1531_chance_when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-a_2161171.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/benjamin-graham-1531_chance_when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-a_2161171.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/benjamin-graham-1531_chance_when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-a_2161171.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When somebody asserts that a stock has an earning power of so much, I am sure that the person who hears him…” — 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": "When somebody asserts that a stock...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-an-earning-power-of-so-much-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/when-somebody-asserts-that-a-stock-has-an-earning-power-of-so-much-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
