---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had done some work on index funds in my…"
description: "\"I had done some work on index funds in my senior thesis at Princeton in 1951.\" — John C. Bogle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/john-c-bogle-2199_done_i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-m_1239050.jpg"
---

#  I had done some work on index funds in my senior thesis at…

![“I had done some work on index funds in my senior thesis at Princeton in 1951.” quote by John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/john-c-bogle-2199_done_i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-m_1239050.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/john-c-bogle-2199_done_i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-m_1239050.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/john-c-bogle-2199_done_i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-m_1239050.jpg)

> “I had done some work on index funds in my senior thesis at Princeton in 1951.”

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

## About This Quote

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

He researched index funds early, showing foresight into passive investing.

**In simple terms:** He studied index funds before they were popular.

Key Takeaway

Consider early research for future trends.

Themes

finance innovation history

Mood

reflective informative

Type

historical analytical

When to use this quote

- investment strategy
- financial education
- portfolio planning

Key Concepts

index investing passive management academic research

Questions to Reflect On

- How have index funds evolved since 1951?
- What lessons from early research apply today?

A Different Perspective

The early work may lack modern data relevance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Index funds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/index-funds/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [I've been studying mutual funds since 1949, when I began researching my senior thesis at Princeton University.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/i-ve-been-studying-mutual-funds-since-1949-when-i-began-researching/)

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

> [The first time I set out to find George F. Kennan, in 1982, I had just turned 21, begun my final semester at Princeton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/the-first-time-i-set-out-to-find-george-f-kennan-in-1982-i-had-just/)

[Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/)

> [It seems to me - particularly for these retirement-plan investors, the vast majority of whom are not particularly financially sophisticated - by far the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/it-seems-to-me-particularly-for-these-retirement-plan-investors-the/)

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

> [Index funds eliminate the risks of individual stocks, market sectors, and manager selection. Only stock market risk remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/index-funds-eliminate-the-risks-of-individual-stocks-market-sectors/)

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

> [The long-term focus of index funds is a much needed counterweight to the short-termism favored by so many market participants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/the-long-term-focus-of-index-funds-is-a-much-needed-counterweight-to/)

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

> [In investing, you get what you don't pay for. Costs matter. So intelligent investors will use low-cost index funds to build a diversified portfolio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/in-investing-you-get-what-you-don-t-pay-for-costs-matter-so/)

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

> [The senior thesis of Hillary D. Rodham, Wellesley College class of 1969, has been speculated about, spun, analyzed, debated, criticized and defended. But rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/the-senior-thesis-of-hillary-d-rodham-wellesley-college-class-of-1969/)

[Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/)

> [My senior thesis was a documentary. By the time I graduated from college, I thought I was going to make films, and my interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaby-hoffmann/my-senior-thesis-was-a-documentary-by-the-time-i-graduated-from/)

[Gaby Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaby-hoffmann/)

> [Wellesley's president, Nannerl Overholser Keohane, approved a broad rule with a specific application: The senior thesis of every Wellesley alumna is available in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/wellesley-s-president-nannerl-overholser-keohane-approved-a-broad/)

[Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/)

> [College was a wonderful time to really explore my interests. I ended up writing my senior thesis about gender inequality in the developing world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bush/college-was-a-wonderful-time-to-really-explore-my-interests-i-ended/)

[Lauren Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bush/)

> [We can extrapolate from the study that for the long term individual investor who maintains a consistent asset allocation and leans toward index funds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-g-ibbotson/we-can-extrapolate-from-the-study-that-for-the-long-term-individual/)

Roger G. Ibbotson

> [I'd say the general outline of a sound investment approach is, first of all, you have to decide are you going to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/i-d-say-the-general-outline-of-a-sound-investment-approach-is-first/)

[Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/)

> [The key aspect of an index fund is that many of them, not all of them, but many of them are extremely cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-bernstein/the-key-aspect-of-an-index-fund-is-that-many-of-them-not-all-of-them/)

[William J. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-bernstein/)

> [Most investors, both institutional and individual, will find that the best way to own common stocks (shares') is through an index fund that charges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/most-investors-both-institutional-and-individual-will-find-that-the/)

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

> [By periodically investing in an index fund, the know-nothing investors can actually outperform most investment professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/by-periodically-investing-in-an-index-fund-the-know-nothing-investors/)

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

## More by John C. Bogle

> [The basic idea of retirement income is, to me, to get a check, two checks every month, one from your fixed income and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/the-basic-idea-of-retirement-income-is-to-me-to-get-a-check-two/)

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

> [When you're young, you've got plenty of time to recover from your mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/when-you-re-young-you-ve-got-plenty-of-time-to-recover-from-your/)

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

> [I almost hate to say how proud I am of my career and, most of all, helping folks get the returns they deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/i-almost-hate-to-say-how-proud-i-am-of-my-career-and-most-of-all/)

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

> [The Vanguard Experiment was designed to prove that mutual funds could operate independently, and do so in a manner that would directly benefit their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/the-vanguard-experiment-was-designed-to-prove-that-mutual-funds-could/)

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

> [“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. Learning is to the Studious, and Riches to the Careful. If a man empties his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/an-investment-in-knowledge-always-pays-the-best-interest-learning-is/)

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

> [I liked the so-called Volcker Rule. I would have separated investment banking and commercial, deposit banking, as we did under the Glass-Steagal Act. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/i-liked-the-so-called-volcker-rule-i-would-have-separated-investment/)

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

> [We make too much out of past performance, and it's very misleading to investors. It causes them to move money around. They buy a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/we-make-too-much-out-of-past-performance-and-it-s-very-misleading-to/)

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

> [It's very difficult for any particular segment of the stock market to sustain superior performance. The watch word for our financial markets is, "reversion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/it-s-very-difficult-for-any-particular-segment-of-the-stock-market-to/)

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

> [I do think that impact investing is not that effective. Shares go from investor A to investor B, and the company doesn't even know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/i-do-think-that-impact-investing-is-not-that-effective-shares-go-from/)

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

> [I was born in an earlier generation and, as a group, my classmates at Blair Academy and Princeton University were as ethical, straightforward, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/i-was-born-in-an-earlier-generation-and-as-a-group-my-classmates-at/)

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

> [My only regret about money is that I don't have more to give away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/my-only-regret-about-money-is-that-i-don-t-have-more-to-give-away/)

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

> [U.S. companies are innovative and entrepreneurial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/u-s-companies-are-innovative-and-entrepreneurial/)

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

> [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/)

> [Without getting into brothels, there are ethical capitalists the problem is that there aren't enough of them. It is not "just a few bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/without-getting-into-brothels-there-are-ethical-capitalists-the/)

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

> [The average hedge fund manager is going to earn zero per cent in extra return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/the-average-hedge-fund-manager-is-going-to-earn-zero-per-cent-in/)

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

[Explore all 179 John C. Bogle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/)

## More Done quotes

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/)

[Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

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

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/)

[Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/)

> [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

Browse all 25,653 Done quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I had done some work on index funds in my senior thesis at Princeton in 1951.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John C. Bogle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-my-senior-thesis-at-princeton/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Done"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-my-senior-thesis-at-princeton/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/john-c-bogle-2199_done_i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-m_1239050.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/john-c-bogle-2199_done_i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-m_1239050.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/john-c-bogle-2199_done_i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-m_1239050.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had done some work on index funds in my senior thesis at Princeton in 1951.” — John C. Bogle",
                "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": "John C. Bogle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I had done some work on...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-my-senior-thesis-at-princeton/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/i-had-done-some-work-on-index-funds-in-my-senior-thesis-at-princeton/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
