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I always like it when a billionaire says "To focus on what you don’t have is a terrible mistake. With the gifts all of us have, if you are unhappy, it’s your ow

I always like it when a billionaire says "To focus on what you don’t have is a terrible mistake. With the gifts all of us have, if you are unhappy, it’s your own fault." Is it so much for a person to want to own their home, have a personal savings, have health care, and be able to retire at a reasonable age? I don't think it is a 'mistake' to want for any of these things, and sadly, there are a good number of people in the world that this is not accessible to.

curi 19y ago
that's what everyone else wants. get your own life.
Xichekolas 19y ago
"and sadly, there are a good number of people in the world that this is not accessible to" This was (and has always been) Buffet's point. Everyone in America has won the 'ovarian lottery' (as he calls it) because we were born here with the opportunity to achieve all those things and more. He's not implying it's only possible here, and he is not implying everyone should be happy where they are. He is just saying we should be thankful that we live in a country that generally makes it possible, and even probable.
- mberning 19y ago
  Replace 'world' with 'US' and the statement still stands. In fact, being born into poverty in the US is very unlucky because it is highly unlikely that you will achieve a fraction of the success of your more well funded peers. It is possible, but unlikely. The fact that you have the opportunity to become super rich is no 'gift' when you consider that the most likely outcome is that you will work a shit job making shit money so some asshole like Buffet can squawk about how grateful you should be. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with people getting rich. But please realize that the gap between the average Joe and the Warren Buffets of the world has been growing larger for quite some time.
  - Xichekolas 19y ago
    "it is highly unlikely that you will achieve a fraction of the success of your more well funded peers" Just goes to show that the human psyche cares more about relative prosperity than absolute prosperity. This is well documented in research. Still, I have to question why you would prefer to be 'rich' in a place without running water rather than be 'poor' in America (where the poor people only have one TV and have to drive used cars). Of course, there are a lot of people worse off than my above glibness suggests, and I think we should definitely be doing all we can to help those people out, but don't try and claim being poor in America is somehow worse than being poor anywhere else just because people like Warren Buffet live here. "Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with people getting rich." The fact that you called Warren Buffet an asshole shows that you do. If you knew anything about the guy, you'd know he doesn't rate anywhere on the asshole scale. My guess he is just a soft target because he happens to be so rich that he is a statistically anomaly.
    - mberning 19y ago
      You seem to consider quality of life as something you can measure by material gain. Nobody cares about televisions and cars when they come down with cancer and can't afford treatment. Being rich in America is certainly great. Being poor in America is not that much different than being poor in the developing world, aside from the better hand-me-downs.
      - pchristensen 19y ago
        I'm speechless. Now I finally understand why all of those poor Americans in makeshift boats are sailing to Cuba or south across the Rio Grande.
        rms 19y ago
        I think you guys missed the point of this downmodded guy's argument because he focused on the wrong thing. In the world economy today, if you're born poor, whether in America or the third world, you're not going to end up like Warren Buffett. It's impossible to go from the lower class to being an uber-capitalist.
comatose_kid 19y ago
Why so negative? He said a lot of wise things, billionaire or not. "The difference between potential and output comes from human qualities." - brilliantly put.
projectileboy 19y ago
I'll offer up a defense, and point out that he was speaking to a group of MBA students at a prestigious school. None of the members of his audience are going to want for any of the things that you listed.
- deleted 19y ago
  [deleted]

curi 19y ago

that's what everyone else wants. get your own life.

Xichekolas 19y ago

"and sadly, there are a good number of people in the world that this is not accessible to" This was (and has always been) Buffet's point. Everyone in America has won the 'ovarian lottery' (as he calls it) because we were born here with the opportunity to achieve all those things and more. He's not implying it's only possible here, and he is not implying everyone should be happy where they are. He is just saying we should be thankful that we live in a country that generally makes it possible, and even probable.

mberning 19y ago
Replace 'world' with 'US' and the statement still stands. In fact, being born into poverty in the US is very unlucky because it is highly unlikely that you will achieve a fraction of the success of your more well funded peers. It is possible, but unlikely. The fact that you have the opportunity to become super rich is no 'gift' when you consider that the most likely outcome is that you will work a shit job making shit money so some asshole like Buffet can squawk about how grateful you should be. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with people getting rich. But please realize that the gap between the average Joe and the Warren Buffets of the world has been growing larger for quite some time.
- Xichekolas 19y ago
  "it is highly unlikely that you will achieve a fraction of the success of your more well funded peers" Just goes to show that the human psyche cares more about relative prosperity than absolute prosperity. This is well documented in research. Still, I have to question why you would prefer to be 'rich' in a place without running water rather than be 'poor' in America (where the poor people only have one TV and have to drive used cars). Of course, there are a lot of people worse off than my above glibness suggests, and I think we should definitely be doing all we can to help those people out, but don't try and claim being poor in America is somehow worse than being poor anywhere else just because people like Warren Buffet live here. "Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with people getting rich." The fact that you called Warren Buffet an asshole shows that you do. If you knew anything about the guy, you'd know he doesn't rate anywhere on the asshole scale. My guess he is just a soft target because he happens to be so rich that he is a statistically anomaly.
  - mberning 19y ago
    You seem to consider quality of life as something you can measure by material gain. Nobody cares about televisions and cars when they come down with cancer and can't afford treatment. Being rich in America is certainly great. Being poor in America is not that much different than being poor in the developing world, aside from the better hand-me-downs.
    - pchristensen 19y ago
      I'm speechless. Now I finally understand why all of those poor Americans in makeshift boats are sailing to Cuba or south across the Rio Grande.
      - rms 19y ago
        I think you guys missed the point of this downmodded guy's argument because he focused on the wrong thing. In the world economy today, if you're born poor, whether in America or the third world, you're not going to end up like Warren Buffett. It's impossible to go from the lower class to being an uber-capitalist.

comatose_kid 19y ago

Why so negative? He said a lot of wise things, billionaire or not. "The difference between potential and output comes from human qualities." - brilliantly put.

projectileboy 19y ago

I'll offer up a defense, and point out that he was speaking to a group of MBA students at a prestigious school. None of the members of his audience are going to want for any of the things that you listed.

deleted 19y ago
[deleted]