The much-maligned idle rich have received a bad rap: They have maintained their wealth while many There is scarcely an instance of a man who has made a fortune by speculation and kept it. Andrew Carnegie of the energetic rich, aggressive real estate operators, corporate acquirers, oil drillers, etc. have their fortunes disappear.

Beware [of] the investment activity that produces applause; the great moves are usually greeted by yawns.

You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong.

My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest.

We always see shifts in employment. If you think about it, if you go back to 1800, it took 80 percent of the labor force to produce enough food for the country. Now it takes less than 3 percent. Well, the truth is that market systems move people around.

Accounting is the language of business.

I like to buy things I can understand. I do a lot of research on things.