In his timeless classic The Intelligent Investor, Benjamin Graham highlights what separates ordinary investors from truly great ones. At the heart of his philosophy are The Seven Virtues of Great Investors qualities that shape discipline, patience, and long-term success in the market. In this article, we’ll explore these virtues in detail and see how they can help anyone move beyond short-term thinking to become a smarter, more resilient investor.
1. Curiosity
Great investors are curious and never stop learning. They remain committed to a relentless, lifelong quest for knowledge. They constantly ask questions, seek new insights, and truly become learning machines.
2. Skepticism
Predictions, news, and tips may claim to sell investments, but their real business is selling hopes and dreams. A smart investor sharpens their skepticism and learns to recognize when an apparent opportunity is too good to be true.
3. Independence
The single most valuable investment asset you will ever have is your own mind. If you let other people do your thinking for you, you have traded away your greatest asset. Great investors don’t follow the crowd—they step away from it. The approval of others means nothing to them, nor should it to you.
4. Humility
Making money can make you believe you know what you’re doing and even what the future holds—yet you may still be wrong. That’s why holding on to humility is essential. The more you learn, the more you should realize how little you truly know. The longer you invest, the more you should recognize that luck often plays a bigger role than you do. Humility is ultimately about being honest with yourself.
5. Discipline
To be an intelligent investor, you cannot make things up as you go along or simply follow your gut wherever it leads. Instead, you must impose discipline on yourself through clear policies, procedures, and rules that guide your decisions. That way, you treat investing as a continuous process—one you can practice and improve at every step—rather than a series of haphazard events.
Discipline doesn’t just mean consistently doing what you should—when and how you should do it; it also means consistently avoiding what you shouldn’t do — The Intelligent Investor
6. Patience
Patience is the key to becoming a great investor. To earn—and keep—long-term gains, you cannot be a short-term thinker. True wealth must be built slowly and steadily.
The money you make in a few months, weeks, days, or even hours will almost certainly disappear at least as quickly as it came — The Intelligent Investor
7. Courage
It is easy to say you will buy more if the stock market falls, but being brave is far harder than saying you are. To be an investor, you must believe in a better tomorrow. History shows that financial faith pays off most after the times when it is hardest to hold. Great investors show courage when markets fall.
These are the seven virtues of a great investor, and every investor should strive to follow them. You can buy the book on amazon.
Disclaimer: I express my own views in this article after reading the book, without intending to offend anyone. I do not sponsor or endorse anyone, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The mentioned link is an affiliate link, and purchasing the book through it is a great way to support me if you’d like to read along!
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