---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never invest in anything that cannot be…"
description: "\"Never invest in anything that cannot be illustrated with a crayon\" — Peter Lynch"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/peter-lynch-2902_crayon_never-invest-in-anything-that-cannot-be_1749543.png"
---

#  Never invest in anything that cannot be illustrated with a…

![“Never invest in anything that cannot be illustrated with a crayon” quote by Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/peter-lynch-2902_crayon_never-invest-in-anything-that-cannot-be_1749543.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/peter-lynch-2902_crayon_never-invest-in-anything-that-cannot-be_1749543.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/peter-lynch-2902_crayon_never-invest-in-anything-that-cannot-be_1749543.png)

> “Never invest in anything that cannot be illustrated with a crayon”

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

## About This Quote

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

Invest only in ideas you can clearly visualize and understand.

**In simple terms:** Invest in what you can picture.

Key Takeaway

Focus on tangible investments.

Themes

investment clarity visualization

Mood

analytical practical

Type

financial educational

When to use this quote

- stock picking
- real‑estate
- business ideas

Key Concepts

fundamental analysis risk assessment simple models

Questions to Reflect On

- Can you picture future cash flows?
- How do you simplify complex investments?

A Different Perspective

Complex markets may defy simple visuals.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

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## Related quotes

> [Never invest in any idea you can't illustrate with a crayon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/never-invest-in-any-idea-you-can-t-illustrate-with-a-crayon/)

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

> [Invest in what you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/invest-in-what-you-know/)

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> [“STUDY IN SCARLET (ILLUSTRATED COLLECTOR’S”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/study-in-scarlet-illustrated-collector-s/)

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> [At home I have a copy of the April 21, 1986, issue of 'Sports Illustrated.' I'm on the cover with the blurb, 'Can Lou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-holtz/at-home-i-have-a-copy-of-the-april-21-1986-issue-of-sports/)

[Lou Holtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-holtz/)

> [Luckily for me, my father had impeccable taste. No contemporary collector was he. His treasure trove of comics included gems such as 'Little Lulu,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-kinney/luckily-for-me-my-father-had-impeccable-taste-no-contemporary/)

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> [“By: N.T. Alcuaz Illustrated By: Alan and Adam Alcuaz”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-alcuaz/by-n-t-alcuaz-illustrated-by-alan-and-adam-alcuaz/)

[N.T. Alcuaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-alcuaz/)

> [I always wanted to write something illustrated, and the Details strip finally gave me the opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-moody/i-always-wanted-to-write-something-illustrated-and-the-details-strip/)

[Rick Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-moody/)

> [Everything when I was a kid was illustrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/everything-when-i-was-a-kid-was-illustrated/)

[Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/)

> ['Sports Illustrated' does extremely minimal retouching. Other publications, however... phew. They do a lot; I've watched myself be Photoshopped before. It. Is. The. Worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-teigen/sports-illustrated-does-extremely-minimal-retouching-other/)

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> [“He dreamed of becoming a fully illustrated man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-davis/he-dreamed-of-becoming-a-fully-illustrated-man/)

Amanda Davis

> [“Om is the things, Om is the ingredient, Om is the container and the content of this universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banani-ray/om-is-the-things-om-is-the-ingredient-om-is-the-container-and-the/)

[Banani Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banani-ray/)

> [Once I'm given an idea for a story I have a million ideas on how it should be illustrated, but I don't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/once-i-m-given-an-idea-for-a-story-i-have-a-million-ideas-on-how-it/)

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> [Not to make him blush, but any story illustrated by Mike Mignola does things that prose alone can't accomplish. The illustrations create mood and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-golden/not-to-make-him-blush-but-any-story-illustrated-by-mike-mignola-does/)

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> [I never thought I'd make the pages of 'Sports Illustrated', because I've always been skinny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-murphy/i-never-thought-i-d-make-the-pages-of-sports-illustrated-because-i-ve/)

[Carolyn Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-murphy/)

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[Kate Upton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-upton/)

## More by Peter Lynch

> [If a picture is worth a thousand words, in business, so is a number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/if-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-in-business-so-is-a-number/)

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> [“The old Wall Street adage "never invest in anything that eats or needs repairs" may apply to racehorses, but it's malarkey when it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/the-old-wall-street-adage-never-invest-in-anything-that-eats-or-needs/)

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

> [You just don't know when you can find the bottom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/you-just-don-t-know-when-you-can-find-the-bottom/)

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

> [I think you have to learn that there's a company behind every stock, and that there's only one real reason why stocks go up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/i-think-you-have-to-learn-that-there-s-a-company-behind-every-stock/)

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

> [If you're prepared to invest in a company, then you ought to be able to explain why in simple language that a fifth grader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/if-you-re-prepared-to-invest-in-a-company-then-you-ought-to-be-able/)

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

> [“In other words, I continue to think like an amateur as frequently as possible. GOING IT ALONE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/in-other-words-i-continue-to-think-like-an-amateur-as-frequently-as/)

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

> [Absent a lot of surprises, stocks are relatively predictable over twenty years. As to whether they're going to be higher or lower in two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/absent-a-lot-of-surprises-stocks-are-relatively-predictable-over/)

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

> [A lot of people got in at the wrong time. A lot of people did very well and some people said, "This is it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/a-lot-of-people-got-in-at-the-wrong-time-a-lot-of-people-did-very/)

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

> [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/)

> [Owning stocks is like having children - don't get involved with more than you can handle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/owning-stocks-is-like-having-children-don-t-get-involved-with-more/)

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> [Long-term investing has gotten so popular, it's easier to admit you're a crack addict than to admit you're a short-term investor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/long-term-investing-has-gotten-so-popular-it-s-easier-to-admit-you-re/)

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> [Don't bottom fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/don-t-bottom-fish/)

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> [It would be wonderful if we could avoid the setbacks with timely exits, but nobody has figured out how to predict them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/it-would-be-wonderful-if-we-could-avoid-the-setbacks-with-timely/)

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

[Explore all 146 Peter Lynch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/)

## More Crayon quotes

> [Have you ever wished that you were little again, When your toughest decisions was trying to choose a crayon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/have-you-ever-wished-that-you-were-little-again-when-your-toughest/)

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> [ I built the film \[Boy and the World\] this way. I gathered all the tools I usually use such as brushes, color pencils, crayons,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/i-built-the-film-boy-and-the-world-this-way-i-gathered-all-the-tools/)

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Browse all 137 Crayon quotes

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