Warren Buffett Quotes

I'm aware of the fact that a lot of talented people out there will never get this chance.

I think there's a million talented people out there, it's just a matter of luck a lot of the time.

You have to believe that those privileged from birth achieve success all on their own..

There's not enough opportunity, and I feel like you can't control where you're born or where you're brought up.

Some people can work their butts off and never get what they're aiming for while others can get it without any effort at all.

I'm not saying people shouldn't apply themselves and work hard. You do have to try to make your own luck. But I know people firsthand who worked incredibly hard, who were really smart, who never got into trouble, and still didn't get a break.

Outside of the family, education is the greatest determinant of social mobility.

America thinks of itself as a meritocracy, so people have more respect for success and more contempt for failure.

Ability is nothing without opportunity.

Ability is of little account without opportunity.

I'm aware people will think I've had an easy way into a dream career. My view is, if anyone has opportunities, they'll take them. My surname opens doors, but those doors will slam firmly if I'm no good.

The modern world is a meritocracy where you earn your own luck, old school ties count for nothing, and inherited privilege can even lose a guy a clear parliamentary majority.

I'm not saying I'm something special. I might play a little better tennis than other people, but it is because I was given the chance, and not many people are.

Aristocracy is naturally abhorrent to me, and adored equality is my idol.

Our democracy may have an aristocracy of talent, as Jefferson said – which is fine – but we don’t want everyone else to be left out. Something like that seems to be happening, though.

There is also an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents;... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government, and provision should be made to prevent its ascendancy.

There is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talent.

We once had a society stratified by bloodlines, in which the Protestant Establishment was in one class, immigrants were in another and African-Americans were in another. Now we live in a society stratified by education. In many ways this system is more fair, but as the information economy matures, we are learning it comes with its own brutal barriers to opportunity and ascent.

Inequality is an inevitable product of capitalist activity, and expanding equality of opportunity only increases it—because some individuals and communities are simply better able than others to exploit the opportunities for development and advancement that capitalism affords.

Whatever we do, whatever our backgrounds, we've all had some kind of advantage somewhere along the way. Some break that might have gone to someone else. Some edge or inside track we couldn't have counted on.

I think the debate around nepotism is futile because I am an outsider and I know that there is no compensation of talent.

I don't care if it's a white millionaire kid from Oxfordshire who comes to my show, buys my record, supports me and rates me. It's cool.

Just because someone doesn't have a silver spoon in their mouth doesn't mean they can't be highly intelligent.

I think if I hadn't been born in a pit village I'd have been part of a dramatic society.

I don't think the world works on merit.