My 10 Favorite Trading and Investing Quotes

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The world of trading and investing is as much about wisdom as it is about numbers. Over the years, many successful investors and traders have imparted valuable advice, often encapsulated in memorable quotes. Here are my ten favorite quotes that offer meaningful insights into the art of trading and investing.

Trading quotes #1 — Tom Basso

“As long as you learn something from a loss, it’s not really a loss.”

Embracing a growth mindset can transform the way we perceive setbacks. Treat every loss as an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve. By extracting valuable lessons from our mistakes, we can turn them into stepping stones towards future success.

You can follow Tom on his Twitter and you can also checkout his blog: enjoytherideworld.odoo.com

Trading quotes #2 — Mark Minervini

“It’s better to lose correctly than to win incorrectly.”

Losing correctly means following a well-defined trading plan, managing risks, and accepting losses as a part of the trading process. It’s better to lose a trade according to a plan than to win a trade through risky behavior or without proper risk management.

You can follow Tom on his Twitter I also recommend any of his books!

Trading quotes #3 — Randy McKay

“When you’re trading well, you have a better mental attitude. When you’re trading poorly, you start wishing and hoping. Instead of getting into trades you think will work, you end up getting into trades you hope will work. I basically learned that you must get out of your losses immediately.”

Emphasizes the importance of a positive mindset and decisive action in trading. Successful trading fosters confidence, leading to well-reasoned decisions. However, when trading poorly, one may rely on hope rather than strategy, leading to potentially risky trades. The key takeaway is the necessity of promptly cutting losses to protect one’s trading capital and maintain a sound trading approach.

Trading quotes #4 — Mark Douglas

“Most traders have absolutely no concept of what it means to be a risk-taker in the way a successful trader thinks about risk. The best traders not only take the risk, they have also learned to accept and embrace that risk. There is a huge psychological gap between assuming you are a risk-taker because you put on trades and fully accepting the risks inherent in each trade. When you fully accept the risks, it will have profound implications on your bottom-line performance.”

Mark Douglas suggests that truly successful traders not only engage in risky trades, but they also fully understand and embrace the potential outcomes of each trade. He argues that there’s a significant difference between merely participating in trades and wholeheartedly accepting the inherent risks involved, which can greatly influence a trader’s performance.

If you are really interested in trading i suggest reading Mark’s books, they will change the way you think about trading and the market.

Trading quotes #5 — John Maynard Keynes

“The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.”

Markets don’t always behave logically or predictably. Keynes’ quote serves as a reminder of the importance of risk management and financial resilience in investing.

Trading quotes #6 — Jack Schwager 

There is no single market secret to discover, no single correct way to trade the markets. Those seeking the one true answer to the markets haven’t even gotten as far as asking the right question, let alone getting the right answer.

Jack Schwager insists there’s no single magic formula or hidden secret for market success. He challenges the notion of a universal trading solution, highlighting the markets’ complexity and diversity. According to Schwager, successful trading is more about asking the right questions and crafting personalized strategies, rather than seeking a one-size-fits-all answer.

Trading quotes #7 — Marty Schwartz

“My attitude is that I always want to be better prepared than someone I’m competing against. The way I prepare myself is by doing my work each night.”

Mr. Schwartz underscores the importance of preparation in gaining a competitive edge. Their philosophy revolves around out-preparing their competitors, achieved through consistent nightly work. This commitment to preparation and consistency sets the groundwork for success.

“Pit Bull” is a great trading book, is not that technical but its a great story, check it out here!

Trading quotes #8 — Jim Rogers

“I just wait until there is money lying in the corner, and all I have to do is go over there and pick it up. I do nothing in the meantime.”

Jim Rogers’ quote illustrates the principle of patience and timing in trading. He compares successful trading to waiting for money to be “lying in the corner,” implying the importance of waiting for the perfect opportunity instead of making hasty decisions. The quote emphasizes that successful trading often requires patience, strategic inaction, and seizing the opportunity when it arises.

Trading quotes #9 — Mark Douglas

“If you can learn to create a state of mind that is not affected by the market’s behaviour, the struggle will cease to exist.”

Mark Douglas’ quote emphasizes the significance of emotional detachment in successful trading. It suggests that by cultivating a mindset unaffected by market fluctuations, one can eliminate the mental struggle often associated with trading. The key to success, thus, lies in mastering one’s emotions and maintaining equilibrium regardless of market behavior.

If you are really interested in trading i suggest reading Mark’s books, they will change the way you think about trading and the market.

Trading quotes #10 — Ed Seykota

“Win or lose, everybody gets what they want from the market. Some people seem to like to lose, so they win by losing money.”

This quote from Ed Seykota underlines a paradoxical aspect of trading, stating that all traders get what they want from the market, even if it’s losing money. It suggests that some traders subconsciously repeat behaviors that lead to losses, implying that they might be seeking the lessons, experiences, or emotional thrill that comes with these losses. Thus, they “win” by fulfilling this desire, even though they’re financially losing.

Something very interesting about Ed is that he and his friend made a song about trading, check it out here .