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Business Quote by Warren Buffett

“Time is the friend of the wonderful business. It's the enemy of the lousy business. If you're in a lousy business for a long time, you're going to get a lousy result, even if you buy it cheap. If you're in a wonderful business for a long time, even if you pay a little too much going in, you're…” quote by Warren Buffett
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“Time is the friend of the wonderful business. It's the enemy of the lousy business. If you're in a lousy business for a long time, you're going to get a lousy result, even if you buy it cheap. If you're in a wonderful business for a long time, even if you pay a little too much going in, you're going to get a wonderful result if you stay in a long time.”

Warren Buffett

About This Quote

Source Speech: Annual Shareholders Meeting, Warren Buffett, 1998

Long‑term success depends on the quality of the business; good businesses improve with time, bad ones deteriorate.

In simple terms: Good businesses thrive, bad ones suffer over time.

Key Takeaway

Invest in quality and stay the course.

Themes

business time quality investment performance

Mood

cautious optimistic analytical

Type

advice business

When to use this quote

  • long‑term investing
  • business evaluation
  • portfolio decisions

Key Concepts

compound growth strategic patience risk management

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you assess business quality?
  • What signals indicate a business will improve with time?
A Different Perspective

Even good businesses can falter without proper management.

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