---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It never was my thinking that made the…"
description: "\"It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight! It is no trick at all to be right on the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-lefevre-18294_bears_it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-b_2960693.jpg"
---

#  It never was my thinking that made the big money for me…

![“It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight! It is no trick at all to be right on the market. You always find lots of early bulls in bull markets and early bears in bear markets. I've known many men who were right at exactly the…” quote by Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-lefevre-18294_bears_it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-b_2960693.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-lefevre-18294_bears_it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-b_2960693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-lefevre-18294_bears_it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-b_2960693.jpg)

> “It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight! It is no trick at all to be right on the market. You always find lots of early bulls in bull markets and early bears in bear markets. I've known many men who were right at exactly the right time, and began buying or selling stocks when prices were at the very level which should show the greatest profit. And their experience invariably matched mine--that is, they made no real money out of it. Men who can both be right and sit tight are uncommon.”

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Success comes not from predicting market moves but from holding positions patiently when they align with market trends.

**In simple terms:** Patience beats timing in investing.

Key Takeaway

Hold steady, avoid overtrading.

Themes

patience discipline investing market timing risk management

Mood

cautious reflective analytical

Type

advice philosophical financial

When to use this quote

- stock investing
- retirement planning
- portfolio management
- trading strategies
- financial advising

Key Concepts

behavioral finance long-term holding market cycles

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you tend to overreact to short‑term market noise?
- How can you cultivate discipline to stay invested?

A Different Perspective

Market conditions can change abruptly, making even patient positions risky.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bear Markets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bear-markets-600897/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Bull market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bull-market/) [Bull markets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bull-markets/) [Bulls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bulls/) [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Early Bulls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-bulls-4507488/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-sitting-701285/) [Profit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profit/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Right time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-time/) [Selling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling/) [Selling stocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling-stocks-166983/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tricks/) [Uncommon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncommon/)

## Related quotes

> [Bull markets are great, but they breed complacency. Bear markets can be energizing. Instead of fretting over the decline in your net worth, think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stewart/bull-markets-are-great-but-they-breed-complacency-bear-markets-can-be/)

[James Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stewart/)

> [There will always be bull markets followed by bear markets followed by bull markets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-templeton/there-will-always-be-bull-markets-followed-by-bear-markets-followed/)

[John Templeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-templeton/)

> [Bull markets and Bear markets can obscure mathematical laws, they cannot repeal them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/bull-markets-and-bear-markets-can-obscure-mathematical-laws-they/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It was always my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-big-money-for-me-it-was-always/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-lauriston-livermore/it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-big-money-for-me-it-always-was/)

[Jesse Lauriston Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-lauriston-livermore/)

> [“The longer the bull market lasts the more severely investors will be affected with amnesia; after five years or so, many people no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham-david-l-dodd/the-longer-the-bull-market-lasts-the-more-severely-investors-will-be/)

[Benjamin Graham^David L.Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham-david-l-dodd/)

> [When it comes to selling stocks, it is plain that nobody can sell unless somebody wants those stocks.If you operate on a large scale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/when-it-comes-to-selling-stocks-it-is-plain-that-nobody-can-sell/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [No man can always have adequate reasons for buying or selling stocks daily - or sufficient knowledge to make his play an intelligent play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/no-man-can-always-have-adequate-reasons-for-buying-or-selling-stocks/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [The strongest bull markets I've been in are built on walls of worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathie-wood/the-strongest-bull-markets-i-ve-been-in-are-built-on-walls-of-worry/)

[Cathie Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathie-wood/)

> [“A bull market is like sex. It feels best just before it ends”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-bull-market-is-like-sex-it-feels-best-just-before-it-ends/)

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

> [Bull markets are Test matches and not 50-over games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-jhunjhunwala/bull-markets-are-test-matches-and-not-50-over-games/)

[Rakesh Jhunjhunwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-jhunjhunwala/)

> [Occasionally we are asked whether it would make sense to modify our investment strategy to perform better in today's financial climate. Our answer, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/occasionally-we-are-asked-whether-it-would-make-sense-to-modify-our/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [Indeed, bull markets are fueled by successive waves of prior skeptics finally capitulating as their fears fade. Eventually, fear turns to euphoria, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/indeed-bull-markets-are-fueled-by-successive-waves-of-prior-skeptics/)

[Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/)

> [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/)

> [Too many people are apt to redeem their profits too quickly. In a huge bull market they wind up with piddling profits, only to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-zweig/too-many-people-are-apt-to-redeem-their-profits-too-quickly-in-a-huge/)

[Martin Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-zweig/)

## More by Edwin Lefevre

> [If a stock doesn’t act right don’t touch it; because, being unable to tell precisely what is wrong, you cannot tell which way it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/if-a-stock-doesn-t-act-right-don-t-touch-it-because-being-unable-to/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [“If you do not know who you are, the stock market is an expensive place to find out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/if-you-do-not-know-who-you-are-the-stock-market-is-an-expensive-place/)

[Edwin Lefèvre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [When you find that it fails to respond adequately to your buying you don't need any better tip to sell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/when-you-find-that-it-fails-to-respond-adequately-to-your-buying-you/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [When the man who ought to want a stock doesn't want it, why should I want it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/when-the-man-who-ought-to-want-a-stock-doesn-t-want-it-why-should-i/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [Being broke is a very efficient educational agency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/being-broke-is-a-very-efficient-educational-agency/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [No man can always have adequate reasons for buying or selling stocks daily - or sufficient knowledge to make his play an intelligent play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/no-man-can-always-have-adequate-reasons-for-buying-or-selling-stocks/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [“Speculators buy the trend; investors are in for the long haul; "they are a different breed of cats." One reason that people lose money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/speculators-buy-the-trend-investors-are-in-for-the-long-haul-they-are/)

[Edwin Lefèvre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [One of the most helpful things that any body can learn is to give up trying to catch the last eighth - or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/one-of-the-most-helpful-things-that-any-body-can-learn-is-to-give-up/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [The speculators deadly enemies are: Ignorance, greed, fear and hope. All the statute books in the world and all the rules of all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/the-speculators-deadly-enemies-are-ignorance-greed-fear-and-hope-all/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [If a man didn't make mistakes he'd own the world in a month.But if he didn't profit by his mistakes he wouldn't own a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/if-a-man-didn-t-make-mistakes-he-d-own-the-world-in-a-month-but-if-he/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [Nowhere does history indulge in repetitions so often or so uniformly as in Wall Street. When you read contemporary accounts of booms or panics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/nowhere-does-history-indulge-in-repetitions-so-often-or-so-uniformly/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [The public always wants to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/the-public-always-wants-to-be-told/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [As I have said a thousand times, no manipulation can put stocks down and keep them down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/as-i-have-said-a-thousand-times-no-manipulation-can-put-stocks-down/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [It takes a man a long time to learn all the lessons of all of his mistakes. They say there are two sides to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/it-takes-a-man-a-long-time-to-learn-all-the-lessons-of-all-of-his/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

> [The big money in booms is always made first by the public - on paper. And it remains on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/the-big-money-in-booms-is-always-made-first-by-the-public-on-paper/)

[Edwin Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

[Explore all 35 Edwin Lefevre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/)

## More Bears quotes

> [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/)

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

> [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/)

[Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Television series are like the stock market. There's room for bears and bulls but no room for pigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/television-series-are-like-the-stock-market-there-s-room-for-bears/)

[Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/)

> [The Germans are the most philosophic people in the world, and the greatest smokers: now I trace their philosophy to their smoking. Smoking has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-borrow/the-germans-are-the-most-philosophic-people-in-the-world-and-the/)

[George Henry Borrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-borrow/)

> [...Gratitude transforms the torment of memory of good things now gone into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/gratitude-transforms-the-torment-of-memory-of-good-things-now-gone/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [You've had a whole lot of experience, but everything is also radically new at each moment, and you have to bring a kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-houston/you-ve-had-a-whole-lot-of-experience-but-everything-is-also-radically/)

[Jean Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-houston/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [Pay no heed to the passing religious vogue. Go back to the grass roots. Open your hearts and search the Scriptures. Bear your cross,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/pay-no-heed-to-the-passing-religious-vogue-go-back-to-the-grass-roots/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [I want you to take a red-hot bath as hot as you can bear it, and just relax your nerves. You can read in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-want-you-to-take-a-red-hot-bath-as-hot-as-you-can-bear-it-and-just/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [Some things in this world just ain't meant to be, not in the times we want 'em to, and the heart has to hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/some-things-in-this-world-just-ain-t-meant-to-be-not-in-the-times-we/)

[James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/)

> [And if anyone knows anything about anything," said Bear to himself, "it's Owl who knows something about something," he said, "or my name's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-if-anyone-knows-anything-about-anything-said-bear-to-himself-it-s/)

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

> [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/)

[Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/)

> [I'm supportive of women, absolutely, and it's so gratifying to have girls come up and say, 'I'm really inspired by your guitar playing.' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-vincent/i-m-supportive-of-women-absolutely-and-it-s-so-gratifying-to-have/)

[St. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-vincent/)

[Browse all 4,111 Bears quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight! It is no trick at all to be right on the market. You always find lots of early bulls in bull markets and early bears in bear markets. I've known many men who were right at exactly the right time, and began buying or selling stocks when prices were at the very level which should show the greatest profit. And their experience invariably matched mine--that is, they made no real money out of it. Men who can both be right and sit tight are uncommon.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edwin Lefevre"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-big-money-for-me-it-always-was-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bears"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-big-money-for-me-it-always-was-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-lefevre-18294_bears_it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-b_2960693.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-lefevre-18294_bears_it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-b_2960693.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/edwin-lefevre-18294_bears_it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-b_2960693.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting. Got that? My sitting…” — Edwin Lefevre",
                "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": "Edwin Lefevre",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-lefevre/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It never was my thinking that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-big-money-for-me-it-always-was-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-lefevre/it-never-was-my-thinking-that-made-the-big-money-for-me-it-always-was-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
