Buffett Quote by Roger Lowenstein
“Buffett's methodology was straightforward, and in that sense 'simple.' It was not simple in the sense of being easy to execute. Valuing companies such as Coca-Cola took a wisdom forged by years of experience; even then, there was a highly subjective element. A Berkshire stockholder once complained that there were no more franchises like Coca-Cola left. Munger tartly rebuked him. 'Why should it be easy to do something that, if done well two or three times, will make your family rich for life?”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder, 2008
Buffett's approach is simple in concept but hard in practice, requiring deep experience and subjective judgment to value companies like Coca-Cola.
In simple terms: Simple idea, hard execution.
Key Takeaway
Embrace experience and accept subjectivity.
Themes
investment
valuation
experience
subjectivity
patience
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
advice
instructional
When to use this quote
- stock analysis
- business acquisition
- portfolio building
- financial planning
Key Concepts
Value investing
moats
long-term wealth
decision making
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance simplicity with complexity?
- What experience have you built to inform decisions?
A Different Perspective
Simple methods can hide complex challenges.
![“Buffett found it 'extraordinary' that academics studied such things. They studied what was measurable, rather than what was meaningful. 'As a friend [Charlie Munger] said, to a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” quote by Roger Lowenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a50/roger-lowenstein-34951_academic_buffett-found-it-extraordinary-that-acad_2270654.jpg)
![“There's a clarity that comes with great ideas: You can [easily and simply] explain why something's a great business, how and why it's cheap, why it's cheap for temporary reasons and how, on a normal basis, it should be trading at a much higher level. You're never sitting there on the 40th page of…” quote by Joel Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ffb/joel-greenblatt-21588_agonizing_there-s-a-clarity-that-comes-with-great_467148.jpg)
