--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ben was really a contrarian but he didn't…" description: "\"Ben was really a contrarian but he didn't use those terms because he was really buying value.\" — Walter Schloss" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/walter-schloss-7650_buying_ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn_2858838.png" --- # Ben was really a contrarian but he didn't use those terms… ![“Ben was really a contrarian but he didn't use those terms because he was really buying value.” quote by Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/walter-schloss-7650_buying_ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn_2858838.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/walter-schloss-7650_buying_ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn_2858838.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/walter-schloss-7650_buying_ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn_2858838.png) > “Ben was really a contrarian but he didn't use those terms because he was really buying value.” [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes a contrarian investor who values assets without using the label “contrarian.” **In simple terms:** A contrarian investor values assets quietly. Key Takeaway Focus on substance over labels. Themes investing contrarianism value Mood pragmatic reflective Type financial strategic When to use this quote - investment meetings - financial newsletters - seminars Key Concepts stock analysis behavioral finance market strategy Questions to Reflect On - Why avoid the contrarian label? - How does quiet confidence affect market perception? A Different Perspective Label avoidance may obscure strategy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ben Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ben-really-3846700/) [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Contrarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrarian/) [Contrarian Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrarian-didn-3846698/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Really Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-buying-3846701/) [Really Contrarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-contrarian-3846699/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [In spite of all this noise, customers are still definitely buying in North America, and they're really, really buying internationally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-balsillie/in-spite-of-all-this-noise-customers-are-still-definitely-buying-in/) [Jim Balsillie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-balsillie/) > [I am not really into buying a lot of expensive things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/i-am-not-really-into-buying-a-lot-of-expensive-things/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [I have a slight contrarian impulse I can't seem to shake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy-jr/i-have-a-slight-contrarian-impulse-i-can-t-seem-to-shake/) [John F. Kennedy Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy-jr/) > [“Decision making brings together many of the finest traits of contrarian leadership--thinking gray, thinking free, artful listening, delegating authority while retaining ultimate responsibility,artful procrastination,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-b-sample/decision-making-brings-together-many-of-the-finest-traits-of/) [Steven B. Sample](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-b-sample/) > [To be a contrarian, you've got to be a contrarian against your own people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/to-be-a-contrarian-you-ve-got-to-be-a-contrarian-against-your-own/) [James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/) > [“Let’s watch out for the unpredictability and the wildcat jumps of contrarian people, whose sole interests are soaring targets at high-speed, at all costs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-s-watch-out-for-the-unpredictability-and-the-wildcat-jumps-of/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [None of this means, however, that a business or stock is an intelligent purchase simply because it is unpopular; a contrarian approach is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/none-of-this-means-however-that-a-business-or-stock-is-an-intelligent/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [When the things in front of you in life reveal how messed up the system is, you lose faith in the system pretty quickly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalen-rose/when-the-things-in-front-of-you-in-life-reveal-how-messed-up-the/) [Jalen Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalen-rose/) > [The very act of becoming an entrepreneur is contrarian to middle class values, study hard, get a good job, be happy with secure income…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashmi-bansal/the-very-act-of-becoming-an-entrepreneur-is-contrarian-to-middle/) [Rashmi Bansal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashmi-bansal/) > [When your views are truly contrarian, they are inevitably uncomfortable. Courage and the ability to withstand pain are required,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steinhardt/when-your-views-are-truly-contrarian-they-are-inevitably/) [Michael Steinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steinhardt/) > [Value investing is at its core the marriage of a contrarian streak and a calculator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/value-investing-is-at-its-core-the-marriage-of-a-contrarian-streak/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [“Defending unpopular positions is what lawyers do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-clement/defending-unpopular-positions-is-what-lawyers-do/) [Paul Clement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-clement/) > [It’s actually pretty easy to be contrarian. It’s hard to be contrarian and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/it-s-actually-pretty-easy-to-be-contrarian-it-s-hard-to-be-contrarian/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Contrarian thinking at its best simply asks, Is this really true? It speaks up when the politically correct answer or the conventional wisdom doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-osborne/contrarian-thinking-at-its-best-simply-asks-is-this-really-true-it/) [Larry Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-osborne/) > [I have contrarian tendencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-t-conway-iii/i-have-contrarian-tendencies/) [George T. Conway III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-t-conway-iii/) ## More by Walter Schloss > [You have to have patience in this field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/you-have-to-have-patience-in-this-field/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [Try to buy assets at a discount than to buy earnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/try-to-buy-assets-at-a-discount-than-to-buy-earnings/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [If the market were way over priced, I wouldn't own any stocks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/if-the-market-were-way-over-priced-i-wouldn-t-own-any-stocks/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [Fear and greed tend to affect one's judgement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/fear-and-greed-tend-to-affect-one-s-judgement/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [I helped Ben with the third edition of Security Analysis, published in 1951.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/i-helped-ben-with-the-third-edition-of-security-analysis-published-in/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [If there are not too many value stocks that I can find, the market isn't all that cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/if-there-are-not-too-many-value-stocks-that-i-can-find-the-market-isn/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [Graham liked the idea of protection on the downside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/graham-liked-the-idea-of-protection-on-the-downside/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [We may buy a little bit of a stock, to get our feet wet and get a feeling for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/we-may-buy-a-little-bit-of-a-stock-to-get-our-feet-wet-and-get-a/) [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/) > [When you buy a depressed company it's not going to go up right after you buy it, believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/when-you-buy-a-depressed-company-it-s-not-going-to-go-up-right-after/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [Earnings can change dramatically. Usually assets change slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/earnings-can-change-dramatically-usually-assets-change-slowly/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [Look for companies that do not have a lot of debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/look-for-companies-that-do-not-have-a-lot-of-debt/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [Ben's emphasis was on protecting his expectation of profit with minimum risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/ben-s-emphasis-was-on-protecting-his-expectation-of-profit-with/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [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/) > [A lot of companies have lots of assets tied up in plant and equipment. Well, is it old plant, or is it new plant?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/a-lot-of-companies-have-lots-of-assets-tied-up-in-plant-and-equipment/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) [Explore all 89 Walter Schloss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) ## More Buying quotes > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [I'm being called in by all the great casting directors. It's no longer based on a headshot. I realize now what they're buying is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-gonzalez/i-m-being-called-in-by-all-the-great-casting-directors-it-s-no-longer/) [Nicholas Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-gonzalez/) > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [There's a whole generation of women who never really heard the word investment before, when it came to fashion. They've been buying things because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/there-s-a-whole-generation-of-women-who-never-really-heard-the-word/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [I think buying a home is the best investment that any individual can make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paulson/i-think-buying-a-home-is-the-best-investment-that-any-individual-can/) [John Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paulson/) > [The more a prospective customer clicks on you and your stuff, the easier it is for them to make a buying decision in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/the-more-a-prospective-customer-clicks-on-you-and-your-stuff-the/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [“If you have half a nothing - sell it for a double something, resell half at double-price, and buy another something and a half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/if-you-have-half-a-nothing-sell-it-for-a-double-something-resell-half/) [Will Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-advise/) > [Every kid looks forward to buying their first JanSport backpack for school - you know my kids did!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-buteau/every-kid-looks-forward-to-buying-their-first-jansport-backpack-for/) [Michelle Buteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-buteau/) > [What is the focus of the new image infrastructure? Attention. It's all designed for capturing, tracking, quantifying, manipulating, holding, buying, selling and controlling attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mau/what-is-the-focus-of-the-new-image-infrastructure-attention-it-s-all/) [Bruce Mau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mau/) > [It’s always going to be easy to live like others or other’s life, because creating or innovating something of own is always difficult in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/it-s-always-going-to-be-easy-to-live-like-others-or-other-s-life/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [The truth is, if I was maybe better or funnier or prettier, wouldn't I have starred in a movie? I can see it objectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/the-truth-is-if-i-was-maybe-better-or-funnier-or-prettier-wouldn-t-i/) [Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/) [Browse all 1,598 Buying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ben was really a contrarian but he didn't use those terms because he was really buying value.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter Schloss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn-t-use-those-terms-because-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Buying" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn-t-use-those-terms-because-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/walter-schloss-7650_buying_ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn_2858838.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/walter-schloss-7650_buying_ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn_2858838.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/walter-schloss-7650_buying_ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn_2858838.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ben was really a contrarian but he didn't use those terms because he was really buying value.” — Walter Schloss", "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": "Walter Schloss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ben was really a contrarian but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn-t-use-those-terms-because-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/ben-was-really-a-contrarian-but-he-didn-t-use-those-terms-because-he/#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 } } ] } ```