--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best thing that happens to us is when…" description: "\"The best thing that happens to us is when a great company gets into temporary trouble...We want to buy them when they're on the operating table.\" — War..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/warren-buffett-183_best-things_the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-whe_2179053.png" --- # The best thing that happens to us is when a great company… ![“The best thing that happens to us is when a great company gets into temporary trouble...We want to buy them when they're on the operating table.” quote by Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/warren-buffett-183_best-things_the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-whe_2179053.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/warren-buffett-183_best-things_the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-whe_2179053.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/warren-buffett-183_best-things_the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-whe_2179053.png) > “The best thing that happens to us is when a great company gets into temporary trouble...We want to buy them when they're on the operating table.” [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. Buffett sees value in distressed but fundamentally sound companies, buying them at low prices during crises. **In simple terms:** Buy good companies when they’re cheap. Key Takeaway Invest in solid firms during downturns. Themes value investing opportunity risk management Mood cautious optimistic Type financial strategic When to use this quote - portfolio diversification - long‑term investing - acquisitions - financial crises Key Concepts distressed assets market cycles Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess a company’s underlying strength? - What signs indicate a temporary trouble? A Different Perspective Requires deep analysis to avoid value traps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-things/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investing money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing-money/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) ## Related quotes > [Ideally you want every relationship to work, if it happens it's great, if it doesn't it is unfortunate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/ideally-you-want-every-relationship-to-work-if-it-happens-it-s-great/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [Sometimes I'm like, Can't I just have a really fun summer where nothing bad happens, where I'm great, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-madix/sometimes-i-m-like-can-t-i-just-have-a-really-fun-summer-where/) [Ariana Madix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-madix/) > [I try to buy stock in businesses that are so wonderful that an idiot can run them. 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If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/you-re-dealing-with-a-lot-of-silly-people-in-the-marketplace-it-s/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Our approach is very much profiting from lack of change rather than from change. 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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 Best things quotes > [I need the best things in life, that's women, thats cars. 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Because those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/the-best-thing-for-you-to-do-is-shop-at-your-local-farmer-s-market/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [The best thing about the term 'performance artist' is that it includes just about everything you might want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/the-best-thing-about-the-term-performance-artist-is-that-it-includes/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [The best things in life are free. Sunsets and sunrises are free. Air is free. Love is free. Death is free. The best things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-best-things-in-life-are-free-sunsets-and-sunrises-are-free-air-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I always wanted to be a player, but I never had the talent to make the big leagues. So I did the next best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-finley/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-player-but-i-never-had-the-talent-to-make-the/) Charlie Finley > [I was a 36C or D, and at 5' 1'', I knew that being a small person with big boobs standing in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-was-a-36c-or-d-and-at-5-1-i-knew-that-being-a-small-person-with-big/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Each time I stop somewhere and look out, there are more people sitting there than there were the time I came before. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-giglio/each-time-i-stop-somewhere-and-look-out-there-are-more-people-sitting/) [Louie Giglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-giglio/) > [One of the best things that happened for me as a playwright is becoming a comic-book writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-aguirre-sacasa/one-of-the-best-things-that-happened-for-me-as-a-playwright-is/) [Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-aguirre-sacasa/) > [I don't really know who I am as an actor: the best thing would be to experiment with it for the next 30 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-don-t-really-know-who-i-am-as-an-actor-the-best-thing-would-be-to/) [Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/) > [The best thing about time passing is the privilege of running out of it, of watching the wave of mortality break over me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-best-thing-about-time-passing-is-the-privilege-of-running-out-of/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [What was the best thing before sliced bread?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/what-was-the-best-thing-before-sliced-bread/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [The best thing about waking up early is seeing the sun rise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgit-mendler/the-best-thing-about-waking-up-early-is-seeing-the-sun-rise/) [Bridgit Mendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridgit-mendler/) [Browse all 1,021 Best things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The best thing that happens to us is when a great company gets into temporary trouble...We want to buy them when they're on the operating table.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Warren Buffett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-when-a-great-company-gets-into/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Best things" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-when-a-great-company-gets-into/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/warren-buffett-183_best-things_the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-whe_2179053.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/warren-buffett-183_best-things_the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-whe_2179053.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/warren-buffett-183_best-things_the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-whe_2179053.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The best thing that happens to us is when a great company gets into temporary trouble...We want to buy them…” — 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": "The best thing that happens to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-when-a-great-company-gets-into/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-best-thing-that-happens-to-us-is-when-a-great-company-gets-into/#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 } } ] } ```