---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Successful investing is about having…"
description: "\"Successful investing is about having people agree with you ... later.\" — James Grant"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/james-grant-26489_agree_successful-investing-is-about-having-peo_2973096.png"
---

#  Successful investing is about having people agree with you…

![“Successful investing is about having people agree with you ... later.” quote by James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/james-grant-26489_agree_successful-investing-is-about-having-peo_2973096.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/james-grant-26489_agree_successful-investing-is-about-having-peo_2973096.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/james-grant-26489_agree_successful-investing-is-about-having-peo_2973096.png)

> “Successful investing is about having people agree with you ... later.”

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

## About This Quote

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

Investing success depends on persuading others to adopt your view, which often only happens after the outcome validates the idea.

**In simple terms:** Convince others after results appear.

Key Takeaway

Focus on evidence‑based decisions.

Themes

finance persuasion timing

Mood

analytical cautious

Type

pragmatic inspirational

When to use this quote

- stock market
- business pitches
- product launches
- policy advocacy

Key Concepts

behavioral economics social proof

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you handle dissent before results?
- What evidence convinces you most?

A Different Perspective

People may resist early ideas despite data.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree/) [Agree Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree-later-4587879/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investing Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing-having-4587880/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Agree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-agree/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Successful investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-investing/)

## Related quotes

> [Successful investing is about owning businesses and reaping the huge rewards provided by the dividends and earnings growth of our nation's - and, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/successful-investing-is-about-owning-businesses-and-reaping-the-huge/)

[John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/)

> [I like to think, hopefully, people agree that I'm fashionable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-beer/i-like-to-think-hopefully-people-agree-that-i-m-fashionable/)

[Madison Beer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-beer/)

> [I've learned that I don't need much sleep, and that I am able to really stand up for the things that I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-healey/i-ve-learned-that-i-don-t-need-much-sleep-and-that-i-am-able-to/)

[Kerry Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-healey/)

> [...more than six people cannot agree on anything, three is better and one is perfect for a job that one can do. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/more-than-six-people-cannot-agree-on-anything-three-is-better-and-one/)

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

> [I was a Reagan backer. It was a shock for some people that I could agree with anything that man would say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/i-was-a-reagan-backer-it-was-a-shock-for-some-people-that-i-could/)

[Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/)

> [“When two people always agree, one of them is unnecessary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/when-two-people-always-agree-one-of-them-is-unnecessary/)

[Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/)

> [Of course, we know that not everyone agrees with assisted suicide, but people might agree that one has the right to it, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/of-course-we-know-that-not-everyone-agrees-with-assisted-suicide-but/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

> [As a rule, the most dangerous ideas are not the ones that divide people but those on which they agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vizinczey/as-a-rule-the-most-dangerous-ideas-are-not-the-ones-that-divide/)

[Stephen Vizinczey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vizinczey/)

> [At every moment of our lives we should be trying to find out, not in what we differ with other people, but in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/at-every-moment-of-our-lives-we-should-be-trying-to-find-out-not-in/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [I'm quite contrary. If people agree on something, I tend to gravitate the other way by my nature. I don't like to be told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-m-quite-contrary-if-people-agree-on-something-i-tend-to-gravitate/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [All you need for a lifetime of successful investing is a few big winners, and the pluses from those will overwhelm the minuses from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/all-you-need-for-a-lifetime-of-successful-investing-is-a-few-big/)

[Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/)

> [Investing is not nearly as difficult as it looks. Successful investing involves doing a few things right and avoiding serious mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/investing-is-not-nearly-as-difficult-as-it-looks-successful-investing/)

[John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/)

> [Successful investing is about managing risk, not avoiding it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/successful-investing-is-about-managing-risk-not-avoiding-it/)

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

> [Taking this view, it is possible to see financial markets as a laboratory for testing hypotheses, albeit not strictly scientific ones. The truth is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/taking-this-view-it-is-possible-to-see-financial-markets-as-a/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [Successful investing is all about common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/successful-investing-is-all-about-common-sense/)

[John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/)

## More by James Grant

> [“Though the continued march of intellect and education have nearly obliterated from the mind of the Scots a belief in the marvelous, still a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/though-the-continued-march-of-intellect-and-education-have-nearly/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [It is an axiom nowadays that no bank fails for lack of capital; unprofitable lending is always the underlying cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/it-is-an-axiom-nowadays-that-no-bank-fails-for-lack-of-capital/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [The 1980s are to debt what the 1960s were to sex. The 1960s left a hangover. So will the 1980s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/the-1980s-are-to-debt-what-the-1960s-were-to-sex-the-1960s-left-a/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [Debt is always repaid, either by the borrower or by the lender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/debt-is-always-repaid-either-by-the-borrower-or-by-the-lender/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [The Fed can change how things look, not how things are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/the-fed-can-change-how-things-look-not-how-things-are/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [Progress is cumulative in science and engineering, but cyclical in finance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/progress-is-cumulative-in-science-and-engineering-but-cyclical-in/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [It's about bums on seats. If nobody wants to listen to what you are doing, it kind of defeats the purpose really, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/it-s-about-bums-on-seats-if-nobody-wants-to-listen-to-what-you-are/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [The art of banking is always to balance the risk of a run with the reward of a profit. The tantalizing factor in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/the-art-of-banking-is-always-to-balance-the-risk-of-a-run-with-the/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [In general, markets know more than the people who write about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/in-general-markets-know-more-than-the-people-who-write-about-them/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [In almost every walk of life, people buy more at lower prices; in the stock market they seem to buy more at higher prices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/in-almost-every-walk-of-life-people-buy-more-at-lower-prices-in-the/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [To suppose that the value of a common stock is determined purely by a corporation's earnings discounted by the relevant interest rates and adjusted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/to-suppose-that-the-value-of-a-common-stock-is-determined-purely-by-a/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [Credit is money of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/credit-is-money-of-the-mind/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [Growth at an exceptional rate is a red flag in banking. It is hard enough to manage an ordinary bank; to control a sprouting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/growth-at-an-exceptional-rate-is-a-red-flag-in-banking-it-is-hard/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [I believe that there is an important kernel of truth in the idea that financial errors recur every other generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/i-believe-that-there-is-an-important-kernel-of-truth-in-the-idea-that/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

> [To me the gold price takes the form of a very uncomplicated formula, and all you have to do is divide one by 'n.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/to-me-the-gold-price-takes-the-form-of-a-very-uncomplicated-formula/)

[James Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

[Explore all 21 James Grant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/)

## More Agree quotes

> [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/)

[Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/)

> [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

> [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [“I tend to agree with that little devil more and more these days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-tend-to-agree-with-that-little-devil-more-and-more-these-days/)

[Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/)

> [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-blix/but-i-would-say-if-the-security-council-is-only-relevant-if-it-agrees/)

[Hans Blix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-blix/)

> [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. It's one of the presumable principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/we-re-never-all-going-to-agree-with-each-other-we-have-to-learn-to/)

[Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/)

> [A contract is an ask game, and if it asks for an hour, and I submit to an hour, then it's an hour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/a-contract-is-an-ask-game-and-if-it-asks-for-an-hour-and-i-submit-to/)

[Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/)

[Browse all 3,079 Agree quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Successful investing is about having people agree with you ... later.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Grant"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/successful-investing-is-about-having-people-agree-with-you-later/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agree"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/successful-investing-is-about-having-people-agree-with-you-later/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/james-grant-26489_agree_successful-investing-is-about-having-peo_2973096.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/james-grant-26489_agree_successful-investing-is-about-having-peo_2973096.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fd/james-grant-26489_agree_successful-investing-is-about-having-peo_2973096.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Successful investing is about having people agree with you ... later.” — James Grant",
                "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": "James Grant",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-grant/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Successful investing is about having people...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/successful-investing-is-about-having-people-agree-with-you-later/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-grant/successful-investing-is-about-having-people-agree-with-you-later/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
