Spier Quotes & Sayings

I learned to see myself and my role as a capitalist ... as somebody who's trying to harness, for myself and for society, the power of greed and the power of the will to acquire into something that makes the world a better place. That's the version of capitalism that we want. — Guy Spier

I'm trying to manage myself, not just my portfolio. — Guy Spier

Take any person, put them in the wrong environment, and they can get off to some pretty bad things. Warren Buffett has said that he would not like to get into debt because he doesn't want to discover what behavior he's capable of. — Guy Spier

But I think it's important to discuss just how easy it is for any of us to get caught up in things that might seem unthinkable - to get sucked into the wrong environment and make moral compromises that can tarnish us terribly. We like to think that we change our environment, but the truth is that it changes us. So we have to be extraordinarily careful to choose the right environment - to work with, and even socialize with, the right people. Ideally, we should stick close to people who are better than us so that we can become more like them. — Guy Spier

Books are a priceless source of wisdom. But people are the ultimate teachers, and there may be lessons that we can only learn from observing them or being in their presence. — Guy Spier

Did you just tell us you're gay?" Asks Nick
"Yes."
"Okay," he says. Abby swats him. "What?"
"That's all you're going to say? Okay?"
"He said not to make a big deal out of it," Nick says. "What am I supposed to say?"
"Say something supportive. I don't know. Or awkwardly hold his hand like I did. Anything"
Nick and I look at each other.
"I'm not holding your hand," I tell him, smiling a little.
"All right"--he nods--"but know that I would. — Becky Albertalli

As I've come to discover, investing is about much more than money. So as your wealth grows, I hope you will also come to realize that the money is largely irrelevant. And what you will want to do with the bulk of your wealth is give it back to society. — Guy Spier

Did my education fail me? Or, even worse, did I fail my education? There's a larger question to be asked here, too, since I'm also a microcosm of my peer group. Why did so many highly educated people from elite business schools and privileged background contribute to and exacerbate the financial crisis of 2008-2009? Did our education fail us? Or did we fail our education? These questions haven't been answered adequately by the prestigious universities that groomed all these high-powered creators of economic mayhem. — Guy Spier

He simply said, 'Atoms... they're everywhere'. — Ethan Spier

I mean, I feel secure in my masculinity, too. Being secure in you masculinity isn't the same as being straight. — Becky Albertalli

so often, we focus our analytical efforts in the wrong direction and miss something vital. So it's crucial to be open to the possibility that we might be mistaken. During — Guy Spier

Buffett and Munger joke that envy is the only one of the seven deadly sins that isn't any fun. "Envy is crazy," remarks Munger. "It's 100 percent destructive. . . . If you get those things out of your life early, life works a lot better. — Guy Spier

One has to divide Warren Buffet into different periods. There is a continuously evolving style of Warren Buffett. — Guy Spier

People will always stop you doing the right thing if it's unconventional. — Guy Spier

I do not use short selling. The fund has not shorted a stock since the 2002 to 2003 time frame. At that time I did short three stocks, on which I broke even on two and made money on one of them. The experience taught me that I was not going to be using short selling going forward for a slew of reasons. — Guy Spier

When Warren Buffett says the sun shines out of somebody's backside, it's worth paying attention. — Guy Spier

And me being jealous of how a girl like Abby could move here and choose to befriend you out of everyone, and you have so many friends already, and I don't think you even get what a big deal that is. ,.. I'm just saying that it seems like it's so easy for you, and you should know you're actually really lucky.
... You deserve it completely. You're an awesome dude, Spier and it was cool getting to know you. If I could do it again, I would have blackmailed you into being my friend and left it at that. — Becky Albertalli

It's stillness and pressure and rhythm and breathing. — Becky Albertalli

The trend of the market is up, not down. Shorting stocks puts you against that trend and thus makes it more difficult to make money. — Guy Spier

From time to time, you have seminal personalities who really change the way the world sees itself - people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela. Warren Buffett is that kind of person in the business world. — Guy Spier

our environment is much stronger than our intellect. Remarkably few investors - either amateur or professional - truly understand this critical point. — Guy Spier

Warren Buffett has shown you can be very, very successful without being rapacious, while still being honest, without engaging in constant legal battles. — Guy Spier

Certainly, it could be otherwise. Religion and race could completely recede as decisive factors in the life of a people and of nations in favor of humanity, which alone determines the value and essence of the person. — Agnes Grunwald-Spier

Famed value investor Guy Spier has managed to write what is both a gripping memoir and a fascinating study of what it takes to succeed in investing and life. A must read! — John Mihaljevic

when your consciousness or mental attitude shifts, remarkable things begin to happen. That shift is the ultimate business tool and life tool. — Guy Spier

The entire pursuit of value investing requires you to see where the crowd is wrong so that you can profit from their misperceptions. — Guy Spier

For most people, attaining the intellectual clarity and emotional detachment that investing requires is tough. — Guy Spier

And this gay thing. It feels so big. It's almost insurmountable. I don't know how to tell them something like this and still come out of it feeling like Simon. Because if Leah and Nick don't recognize me, I don't even recognize myself anymore. — Becky Albertalli

Over the time that I followed Warren Buffett, one CFO told me, it's very important to pay attention not only to what Warren Buffett says and what he actually does - often there are subtle differences between the two. — Guy Spier

We think we control our environment, but in fact, it's our environment that controls us. We can't change the world. The only thing we can change is ourselves, by trying to get a better understanding of our own messed-up wiring. — Guy Spier

And then I kiss him for real, and he kisses me back, and his hands fist my hair. And we're kissing like it's breathing. My stomach flutters wildly. And somehow we end up horizontal, his hands curved up around my back.

"I like this," I say, and my voice comes out breathless. "We should do this. Every day."
"Okay."
"Let's never do anything else. No school. No meals. No homework."
"I was going to ask you to see a movie," he says, smiling. When he smiles, I smile.
"No movies. I hate movies."
"Oh, really?"
"Really, really. Why would I want to watch other people kissing," I say, "when I could be kissing you? — Becky Albertalli

Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it shouldn't be this big awkward thing whether you're straight, gay, bi, or whatever. I'm just saying. — Becky Albertalli

I don't even know. I'm just so sick of straight people who can't get their shit together. — Becky Albertalli

But I'm tired of coming out. All I ever do is come out. I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways. I get a girlfriend. I have a beer. And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe all over again. — Becky Albertalli

And I'm so obsessed with my pursuit of the perfect cappuccino that I spent $6,000 on an exquisite La Marzocco coffee machine, which I imported from Florence. — Guy Spier

This became my own goal: not to be Warren Buffett, but to become a more authentic version of myself. As he had taught me, the path to true success is through authenticity. — Guy Spier

The way I feel about him is like a heartbeat -- soft and persistent, underlying everything. — Becky Albertalli