No wise pilot, no matter how great his talent and experience, fails to use his checklist.
Charlie MungerQuoting Demosthenes, 'For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.' I would rather make money playing a piano in a whorehouse than arguing that no cost is incurred when employees are paid in stock options instead of cash. I am not kidding.
Charlie MungerRemember that reputation and integrity are your most valuable assets - and can be lost in a heartbeat.
Charlie MungerWesco had a market capitalization of $40 million when we bought it [in the early 1970s]. It's $2 billion now. It's been a long slog to a perfectly respectable outcome - not as good as Berkshire Hathaway or Microsoft, but there's always someone in life who's done better.
Charlie MungerOnce you start doing something bad, then it's easy to take the next step - and in the end, you're a moral sewer.
Charlie MungerOur approach has worked for us. Look at the fun we, our managers, and our shareholders are having. More people should copy us. It's not difficult, but it looks difficult because it's unconventional - it isn't the way things are normally done. We have low overhead, don't have quarterly goals and budgets or a standard personnel system, and our investing is much more concentrated than average. It's simple and common sense.
Charlie Munger