---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Trading has taught me not to take the…"
description: "\"Trading has taught me not to take the conventional wisdom for granted. What money I made in trading is testimony to the fact that the majority is wrong..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/richard-dennis-32388_always-wrong_trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-co_2242497.png"
---

#  Trading has taught me not to take the conventional wisdom…

![“Trading has taught me not to take the conventional wisdom for granted. What money I made in trading is testimony to the fact that the majority is wrong a lot of the time. The vast majority is wrong even more of the time. I've learned that markets, which are often just mad crowds, are often…” quote by Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/richard-dennis-32388_always-wrong_trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-co_2242497.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/richard-dennis-32388_always-wrong_trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-co_2242497.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/richard-dennis-32388_always-wrong_trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-co_2242497.png)

> “Trading has taught me not to take the conventional wisdom for granted. What money I made in trading is testimony to the fact that the majority is wrong a lot of the time. The vast majority is wrong even more of the time. I've learned that markets, which are often just mad crowds, are often irrational; when emotionally overwrought, they're almost always wrong.”

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

## About This Quote

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

Conventional market wisdom is often wrong; crowds become irrational, especially when emotional, leading to profitable opportunities for contrarians.

**In simple terms:** Most market advice is wrong; crowds act irrationally.

Key Takeaway

Question the herd and seek contrarian angles.

Themes

contrarian investing market psychology crowd behavior risk management

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

advisory inspirational

When to use this quote

- stock trading
- hedge fund strategies
- risk assessment
- portfolio construction

Key Concepts

behavioral finance probability market cycles

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you identify when the crowd is irrational?
- What signals indicate a contrarian opportunity?

A Different Perspective

Crowd irrationality can be unpredictable and lead to losses if misread.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Always wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always-wrong/) [Conventional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional/) [Conventional wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional-wisdom/) [Crowds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crowds/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/granted/) [I've learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-ve-learned/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Irrational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money Trading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-trading-523875/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Testimony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testimony/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Trading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trading/) [Trading Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trading-taught-5089783/) [Trading Testimony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trading-testimony-5089784/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/)

## Related quotes

> [The key to trading success is emotional discipline. If intelligence were the key, there would be a lot more people making money trading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-sperandeo/the-key-to-trading-success-is-emotional-discipline-if-intelligence-2/)

[Victor Sperandeo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-sperandeo/)

> [The key to trading success is emotional discipline. If intelligence were the key, there would be a lot more people making money trading… I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-sperandeo/the-key-to-trading-success-is-emotional-discipline-if-intelligence/)

[Victor Sperandeo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-sperandeo/)

> [“You don’t make money by trading, you make it by sitting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-mcallen/you-don-t-make-money-by-trading-you-make-it-by-sitting/)

[Fred McAllen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-mcallen/)

> [Trading decisions should be made as unemotionally as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/trading-decisions-should-be-made-as-unemotionally-as-possible/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [People recognize me from everything and as soon as I think I know where they know me from, I'm always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niecy-nash/people-recognize-me-from-everything-and-as-soon-as-i-think-i-know/)

[Niecy Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niecy-nash/)

> [Torturing a human being is almost always wrong, but it is not absolutely wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/torturing-a-human-being-is-almost-always-wrong-but-it-is-not/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [Without the instruments and accumulated knowledge of the natural sciences... humans are trapped in a cognitive prison. They are like intelligent fish born in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/without-the-instruments-and-accumulated-knowledge-of-the-natural/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [She didn't give George any too easy a time when she was alive. She was one of those semi-invalids – I believe she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/she-didn-t-give-george-any-too-easy-a-time-when-she-was-alive-she-was/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [Power is the pivot on which everything hinges. He who has the power is always right; the weaker is always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/power-is-the-pivot-on-which-everything-hinges-he-who-has-the-power-is/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [you may take it from me, that however hard you try - or don't try; whatever you do - or don't do; for better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-raverat/you-may-take-it-from-me-that-however-hard-you-try-or-don-t-try/)

[Gwen Raverat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-raverat/)

> [Since the majority is always wrong, might we try one election day where all the losers take office?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/since-the-majority-is-always-wrong-might-we-try-one-election-day/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [Apparently, an undocumented side effect of dope is a gross overestimation of one's own intelligence. Dopers become convinced they've hidden their stash so well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alafair-burke/apparently-an-undocumented-side-effect-of-dope-is-a-gross/)

[Alafair Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alafair-burke/)

> [Grasshopper always wrong in argument with chicken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/grasshopper-always-wrong-in-argument-with-chicken/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [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/)

> [People who try to predict the future by extrapolating in a line of more of what exists - they are always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/people-who-try-to-predict-the-future-by-extrapolating-in-a-line-of/)

[Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/)

## More by Richard Dennis

> [There is another point that I think is as important: You should expect the unexpected in this business; expect the extreme. Don’t think in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/there-is-another-point-that-i-think-is-as-important-you-should-expect/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [Trading decisions should be made as unemotionally as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/trading-decisions-should-be-made-as-unemotionally-as-possible/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [You have to minimize your losses and try to preserve capital for those very few instances where you can make a lot in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/you-have-to-minimize-your-losses-and-try-to-preserve-capital-for/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [A good trend following system will keep you in the market until there is evidence that the trend has changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/a-good-trend-following-system-will-keep-you-in-the-market-until-there/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [I always say you could publish rules in a newspaper and no one would follow them. The key is consistency and discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/i-always-say-you-could-publish-rules-in-a-newspaper-and-no-one-would/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [When you are getting beat to death, get your head out of the mixer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/when-you-are-getting-beat-to-death-get-your-head-out-of-the-mixer/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [When things aren't going right, don't push, don't press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/when-things-aren-t-going-right-don-t-push-don-t-press/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [Trade small because thats when you are as bad as you are ever going to be. Learn from your mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/trade-small-because-thats-when-you-are-as-bad-as-you-are-ever-going/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [I could trade without knowing the name of the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/i-could-trade-without-knowing-the-name-of-the-market/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [I learned to avoid trying to catch up or double up to recoup losses. I also learned that a certain amount of loss will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/i-learned-to-avoid-trying-to-catch-up-or-double-up-to-recoup-losses-i/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [You should always have a worst case point. The only choice should be to get out quicker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/you-should-always-have-a-worst-case-point-the-only-choice-should-be/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [The market being in a trend is the main thing that eventually gets us in a trade. That is a pretty simple idea. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/the-market-being-in-a-trend-is-the-main-thing-that-eventually-gets-us/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [When you have a position, you put it on for a reason, and you've got to keep it until the reason no longer exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/when-you-have-a-position-you-put-it-on-for-a-reason-and-you-ve-got-to/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

> [I always say that you could publish trading rules in the newspaper and no one would follow them. The key is consistency and discipline.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/i-always-say-that-you-could-publish-trading-rules-in-the-newspaper/)

[Richard Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

[Explore all 15 Richard Dennis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/)

## More Always wrong quotes

> [People who try to predict the future by extrapolating in a line of more of what exists - they are always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/people-who-try-to-predict-the-future-by-extrapolating-in-a-line-of/)

[Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/)

> [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/)

> [Grasshopper always wrong in argument with chicken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/grasshopper-always-wrong-in-argument-with-chicken/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Apparently, an undocumented side effect of dope is a gross overestimation of one's own intelligence. Dopers become convinced they've hidden their stash so well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alafair-burke/apparently-an-undocumented-side-effect-of-dope-is-a-gross/)

[Alafair Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alafair-burke/)

> [Since the majority is always wrong, might we try one election day where all the losers take office?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/since-the-majority-is-always-wrong-might-we-try-one-election-day/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [you may take it from me, that however hard you try - or don't try; whatever you do - or don't do; for better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-raverat/you-may-take-it-from-me-that-however-hard-you-try-or-don-t-try/)

[Gwen Raverat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-raverat/)

> [Power is the pivot on which everything hinges. He who has the power is always right; the weaker is always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/power-is-the-pivot-on-which-everything-hinges-he-who-has-the-power-is/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [She didn't give George any too easy a time when she was alive. She was one of those semi-invalids – I believe she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/she-didn-t-give-george-any-too-easy-a-time-when-she-was-alive-she-was/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [Without the instruments and accumulated knowledge of the natural sciences... humans are trapped in a cognitive prison. They are like intelligent fish born in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/without-the-instruments-and-accumulated-knowledge-of-the-natural/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [Torturing a human being is almost always wrong, but it is not absolutely wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/torturing-a-human-being-is-almost-always-wrong-but-it-is-not/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [People recognize me from everything and as soon as I think I know where they know me from, I'm always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niecy-nash/people-recognize-me-from-everything-and-as-soon-as-i-think-i-know/)

[Niecy Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niecy-nash/)

> [Socialism is always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/socialism-is-always-wrong/)

[George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/)

> [So, economics should emulate physics' basic ethos, but its search for precision in physics-like formulas is almost always wrong in economics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/so-economics-should-emulate-physics-basic-ethos-but-its-search-for/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [I have taken the stand that nobody can be always wrong, but it does seem to me that I have approximated so highly that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/i-have-taken-the-stand-that-nobody-can-be-always-wrong-but-it-does/)

[Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/)

> [Don't make decisions by majority vote. The majority is almost always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/don-t-make-decisions-by-majority-vote-the-majority-is-almost-always/)

[Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/)

[Browse all 71 Always wrong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always-wrong/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Trading has taught me not to take the conventional wisdom for granted. What money I made in trading is testimony to the fact that the majority is wrong a lot of the time. The vast majority is wrong even more of the time. I've learned that markets, which are often just mad crowds, are often irrational; when emotionally overwrought, they're almost always wrong.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Dennis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-conventional-wisdom-for-granted/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Always wrong"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-conventional-wisdom-for-granted/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/richard-dennis-32388_always-wrong_trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-co_2242497.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/richard-dennis-32388_always-wrong_trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-co_2242497.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/richard-dennis-32388_always-wrong_trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-co_2242497.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Trading has taught me not to take the conventional wisdom for granted. What money I made in trading is…” — Richard Dennis",
                "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": "Richard Dennis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dennis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Trading has taught me not to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-conventional-wisdom-for-granted/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dennis/trading-has-taught-me-not-to-take-the-conventional-wisdom-for-granted/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
