--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An investor needs to do very few things…" description: "\"An investor needs to do very few things right as long as he or she avoids big mistakes.\" — Warren Buffett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/warren-buffett-183_avoids_an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things_2516223.png" --- # An investor needs to do very few things right as long as… ![“An investor needs to do very few things right as long as he or she avoids big mistakes.” quote by Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/warren-buffett-183_avoids_an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things_2516223.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/warren-buffett-183_avoids_an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things_2516223.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/warren-buffett-183_avoids_an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things_2516223.png) > “An investor needs to do very few things right as long as he or she avoids big mistakes.” [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success hinges on avoiding major errors rather than perfecting many small tasks. **In simple terms:** Avoid big mistakes, not perfect everything. Key Takeaway Focus on risk management. Themes investment risk management decision making efficiency Mood pragmatic cautious analytical Type financial investment advice When to use this quote - portfolio review - business planning - financial education - risk assessment Key Concepts Finance behavioral economics strategy Questions to Reflect On - What big mistake could you prevent today? - How do you prioritize risk versus reward? A Different Perspective Small errors can accumulate unnoticed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Avoids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoids/) [Avoids Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoids-big-1205351/) [Big mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-mistake/) [Big Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-mistakes-592477/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Buffets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buffets/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investor/) [Investor Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investor-needs-792359/) [Investors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investors/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) ## Related quotes > [Graham's wonderful sentence as, an investor needs only two things: cash and courage. 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Because sooner or later, one will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-try-to-buy-stock-in-businesses-that-are-so-wonderful-that-an-idiot/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [The most common cause of low prices is pessimism - some times pervasive, some times specific to a company or industry. We want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-most-common-cause-of-low-prices-is-pessimism-some-times-pervasive/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) ## More by Warren Buffett > [To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information. What's needed is a sound intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/to-invest-successfully-over-a-lifetime-does-not-require-a/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [“Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/be-fearful-when-others-are-greedy-and-be-greedy-when-others-are/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Making money isn't the backbone of our guiding purpose; it is the by-product of our guiding purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/making-money-isn-t-the-backbone-of-our-guiding-purpose-it-is-the-by/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [We set no volume goals in our insurance business generally-and certainly not in reinsurance-as virtually any volume can be achieved if profitability standards are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/we-set-no-volume-goals-in-our-insurance-business-generally-and/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Everybody's got a different circle of competence. 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We want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-most-common-cause-of-low-prices-is-pessimism-some-times-pervasive/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [The reaction of weak management to weak operations is often weak accounting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-reaction-of-weak-management-to-weak-operations-is-often-weak/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [What you really want to do in investments is figure out what's important and knowable. If it's unimportant or unknowable you forget about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/what-you-really-want-to-do-in-investments-is-figure-out-what-s/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [I don't measure my life by the money I've made. Other people might, but certainly don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-don-t-measure-my-life-by-the-money-i-ve-made-other-people-might-but/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [I mean the truth is, I've never had it so good in terms of taxes. I am paying the lowest tax rate that I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-mean-the-truth-is-i-ve-never-had-it-so-good-in-terms-of-taxes-i-am/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect. You need a temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-most-important-quality-for-an-investor-is-temperament-not/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Investors, of course, can, by their own behavior make stock ownership highly risky. And many do. Active trading, attempts to "time" market movements, inadequate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/investors-of-course-can-by-their-own-behavior-make-stock-ownership/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) [Explore all 984 Warren Buffett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) ## More Avoids quotes > [During the run up to the Iraq War, Mike Farrell and I did get on television kind of frequently, but then they saw that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cromwell/during-the-run-up-to-the-iraq-war-mike-farrell-and-i-did-get-on/) [James Cromwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cromwell/) > [An expert is a person who avoids the small errors while sweeping on to the grand fallacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/an-expert-is-a-person-who-avoids-the-small-errors-while-sweeping-on/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [Fluency avoids hard thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/fluency-avoids-hard-thoughts/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Everybody that I fight always avoids jiu-jitsu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-maia/everybody-that-i-fight-always-avoids-jiu-jitsu/) [Demian Maia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-maia/) > [In Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, the government in a matter of years has put a lot of energy behind recycling food waste as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/in-japan-taiwan-and-south-korea-the-government-in-a-matter-of-years/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [A man is known by the company he avoids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/source-unknown/a-man-is-known-by-the-company-he-avoids/) [Source Unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/source-unknown/) > [It avoids a self-conscious relationship to the act. We live in the most self-conscious society in the history of mankind. There are good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-harvey/it-avoids-a-self-conscious-relationship-to-the-act-we-live-in-the/) [Larry Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-harvey/) > [Blessed is he or she who avoids being offended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/blessed-is-he-or-she-who-avoids-being-offended/) [Marvin J. Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [In the giraffe with a total height of 5 m., the heart is at a height of about 2.5 m., and it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-krogh/in-the-giraffe-with-a-total-height-of-5-m-the-heart-is-at-a-height-of/) [August Krogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-krogh/) > [He who avoids complaint invites happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakr/he-who-avoids-complaint-invites-happiness/) [Abu Bakr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakr/) > [“Don´t call coward who avoids a fight but to one who seeks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ngel-s-ez-guti-rrez-marino/don-t-call-coward-who-avoids-a-fight-but-to-one-who-seeks/) [Miguel Ángel Sáez Gutiérrez «Marino»](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ngel-s-ez-guti-rrez-marino/) > [A Superwoman isn't a woman who can do anything, but a woman who avoids doing too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-conran/a-superwoman-isn-t-a-woman-who-can-do-anything-but-a-woman-who-avoids/) [Shirley Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-conran/) > [The sage avoids extremity, excess, and extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-sage-avoids-extremity-excess-and-extravagance/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Truth, as ever, avoids the stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/truth-as-ever-avoids-the-stranger/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-wise-warrior-avoids-the-battle/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) [Browse all 30 Avoids quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoids/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An investor needs to do very few things right as long as he or she avoids big mistakes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Warren Buffett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things-right-as-long-as-he-or-she/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Avoids" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things-right-as-long-as-he-or-she/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/warren-buffett-183_avoids_an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things_2516223.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/warren-buffett-183_avoids_an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things_2516223.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/warren-buffett-183_avoids_an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things_2516223.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An investor needs to do very few things right as long as he or she avoids big mistakes.” — Warren Buffett", "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": "Warren Buffett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An investor needs to do very...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things-right-as-long-as-he-or-she/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/an-investor-needs-to-do-very-few-things-right-as-long-as-he-or-she/#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 } } ] } ```