--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not always easy to do what's not…" description: "\"It's not always easy to do what's not popular, but that's where you make your money. Buy stocks that look bad to less careful investors and hang on unt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/john-neff-40597_careful_it-s-not-always-easy-to-do-what-s-not-po_1221655.png" --- # It's not always easy to do what's not popular, but that's… ![“It's not always easy to do what's not popular, but that's where you make your money. Buy stocks that look bad to less careful investors and hang on until their real value is recognized.” quote by John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/john-neff-40597_careful_it-s-not-always-easy-to-do-what-s-not-po_1221655.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/john-neff-40597_careful_it-s-not-always-easy-to-do-what-s-not-po_1221655.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/john-neff-40597_careful_it-s-not-always-easy-to-do-what-s-not-po_1221655.png) > “It's not always easy to do what's not popular, but that's where you make your money. Buy stocks that look bad to less careful investors and hang on until their real value is recognized.” [John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Profiting comes from buying undervalued assets that others avoid and holding until the market corrects. **In simple terms:** Buy low, hold long. Key Takeaway Seek out ignored opportunities. Themes investment contrarian patience risk reward Mood cautious analytical Type advisory strategic When to use this quote - stock selection - portfolio management - long‑term holding - market cycles Key Concepts Value investing market psychology behavioral finance Questions to Reflect On - What assets are currently overlooked? - How long can you stay invested during downturns? A Different Perspective Requires deep research and tolerance for short‑term pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buy Stocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buy-stocks-423337/) [Careful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careful/) [Careful Investors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careful-investors-3743631/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investors/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Make Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-money/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-value/) [Stocks Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stocks-look-3743632/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [Investors have been too willing to buy stocks with strong reported earnings, even if they do not understand how the earnings are produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/investors-have-been-too-willing-to-buy-stocks-with-strong-reported/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [The time to buy stocks is consistently over time. You should never buy your investments with the idea, 'I have to get a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-time-to-buy-stocks-is-consistently-over-time-you-should-never-buy/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Experience teaches that the time to buy stocks is when their price is unduly depressed by temporary adversity. In other words, they should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/experience-teaches-that-the-time-to-buy-stocks-is-when-their-price-is/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [We like to buy stocks which we feel are undervalued and then we have to have the guts to buy more when they go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/we-like-to-buy-stocks-which-we-feel-are-undervalued-and-then-we-have/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [Time and again, in every market cycle I have witnessed, the extremes of emotion always appear, even among experienced investors. When the world wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steinhardt/time-and-again-in-every-market-cycle-i-have-witnessed-the-extremes-of/) [Michael Steinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steinhardt/) > [Buy stocks like you buy your groceries, not like you buy your perfume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/buy-stocks-like-you-buy-your-groceries-not-like-you-buy-your-perfume/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [If you buy all the stocks selling at or below two times earnings, you will lose money on half of them because instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-templeton/if-you-buy-all-the-stocks-selling-at-or-below-two-times-earnings-you/) [John Templeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-templeton/) > [So the first thing I learned about how to get superior performance is not to buy stocks that are near their lows, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-neil/so-the-first-thing-i-learned-about-how-to-get-superior-performance-is/) [William O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-neil/) > [If there's a recession, I'd buy stocks. That's when you make money: when markets are spooked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/if-there-s-a-recession-i-d-buy-stocks-that-s-when-you-make-money-when/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [Benjamin Graham wrote, "Those with enterprise haven't the money, and those with money haven't the enterprise, to buy stocks when they are cheap."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/benjamin-graham-wrote-those-with-enterprise-haven-t-the-money-and/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Buy stocks where the outlook is not good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/buy-stocks-where-the-outlook-is-not-good/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [Each year we buy stocks and they go up, we sell them and then we try to buy something cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/each-year-we-buy-stocks-and-they-go-up-we-sell-them-and-then-we-try/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [I don't buy stocks, I make stocks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-don-t-buy-stocks-i-make-stocks/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [When you buy enough stocks to give you control of a target company, that's called mergers and acquisitions or corporate raiding. Hedge funds have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/when-you-buy-enough-stocks-to-give-you-control-of-a-target-company/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [Before this century is over, the Dow Jones Industrial Average will probably be over one million versus around 10,000 now. So for the long-term,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-templeton/before-this-century-is-over-the-dow-jones-industrial-average-will/) [John Templeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-templeton/) ## More by John Neff > [I've never bought a stock unless, in my view, it was on sale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-neff/i-ve-never-bought-a-stock-unless-in-my-view-it-was-on-sale/) [John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) > [ The baskets start at $25 and\] the sky's the limit, I've done baskets worth hundreds of dollars. At that price, they are putting in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-neff/the-baskets-start-at-25-and-the-sky-s-the-limit-i-ve-done-baskets/) [John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) > [I don't read, much less follow, the valuations or predictions. I study the numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-neff/i-don-t-read-much-less-follow-the-valuations-or-predictions-i-study/) [John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) > [An awful lot of people keep a stock too long because it gives them warm fuzzies – particularly when a contrarian stance has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-neff/an-awful-lot-of-people-keep-a-stock-too-long-because-it-gives-them/) [John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) > [Successful stocks don't tell you when to sell. When you feel like bragging, it's probably time to sell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-neff/successful-stocks-don-t-tell-you-when-to-sell-when-you-feel-like/) [John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) > [I don't want a lot of good investments; I want a few outstanding ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-neff/i-don-t-want-a-lot-of-good-investments-i-want-a-few-outstanding-ones/) [John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) > [Investment success does not require glamour stocks or bull markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-neff/investment-success-does-not-require-glamour-stocks-or-bull-markets/) [John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) > [Brand-name growth stocks ordinarily command the highest p/e ratios. Rising prices beget attention, and vice versa - but only to a point. Eventually their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-neff/brand-name-growth-stocks-ordinarily-command-the-highest-p-e-ratios/) [John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) > [Buy on the cannons and sell on the trumpets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-neff/buy-on-the-cannons-and-sell-on-the-trumpets/) [John Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) [Explore all 10 John Neff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-neff/) ## More Careful quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [“Only careful political manoeuvring will be able to manage the situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davan-yahya-khalil/only-careful-political-manoeuvring-will-be-able-to-manage-the/) [Davan Yahya Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davan-yahya-khalil/) > [Be careful. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to the worst Spanish student in the history of the language.” I laughed. “No problemo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/be-careful-i-wouldn-t-want-anything-to-happen-to-the-worst-spanish/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [If I held all the thoughts of the world in my hand, I would be careful not to open it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/if-i-held-all-the-thoughts-of-the-world-in-my-hand-i-would-be-careful/) [Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/) > [Physical beauty is not everything, but the beauty is more careful than anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/physical-beauty-is-not-everything-but-the-beauty-is-more-careful-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think about what you do, if you become self-conscious about it, you've got to be very careful. Because I really like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/if-you-think-about-what-you-do-if-you-become-self-conscious-about-it/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [You've got to be careful against classy fighters, especially counter-punchers because if you go for the finish too early, you can end up getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/you-ve-got-to-be-careful-against-classy-fighters-especially-counter/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-clement-stone-2/be-careful-the-friends-you-choose-for-you-will-become-like-them/) [W Clement Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-clement-stone-2/) > [A woman who is careful with her words is a gift to all who know her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-is-careful-with-her-words-is-a-gift-to-all-who-know-her/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I have to be careful to get out before I become the grotesque caricature of a hatchet-faced woman with big knockers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/i-have-to-be-careful-to-get-out-before-i-become-the-grotesque/) [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/) > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. If you're not careful, it will take up your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/success-is-like-a-mountain-in-front-of-you-that-keeps-growing-if-you/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [ I just have to deal with it \[injuries\] if and when problems happen. It's obviously a concern and I've been very careful with my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-james/i-just-have-to-deal-with-it-injuries-if-and-when-problems-happen-it-s/) [Greg James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-james/) > [Our communications reflect in our countenance. Therefore, we must be careful not only what we communicate, but also how we do so. Souls can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-lionel-kendrick/our-communications-reflect-in-our-countenance-therefore-we-must-be/) [L. Lionel Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-lionel-kendrick/) [Browse all 2,861 Careful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not always easy to do what's not popular, but that's where you make your money. 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