You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong.
The genius here lies in Buffett's inversion of the success formula: he's not arguing for excellence, but for the elimination of catastrophe. Most advice tells us to optimize everything; Buffett suggests that avoiding a handful of truly destructive choices—a terrible marriage, a ruinous business partner, heavy drinking—matters far more than maximizing your wins. A young person might chase ten promising opportunities simultaneously, but Buffett is saying that simply *not* wrecking your health, finances, or relationships through recklessness will compound into a life of remarkable freedom, even if your achievements feel modest on paper.
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Aristotle“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
Lao Tzu“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a great deal of it.”
Seneca“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it mean...”
Steve Jobs