From Fortune · Emma Burleigh · · 1m 30s
Buffett: money doesn't make greatness
The world's tenth richest person says accumulating wealth is not the path to excellence, and lives by it in a fifty-eight-year-old Nebraska home.
In brief
The world's tenth richest person says accumulating wealth is not the path to excellence, and lives by it in a fifty-eight-year-old Nebraska home. Warren Buffett, worth one hundred sixty-three billion dollars, argues that greatness comes from kindness and helping others, not from money, and demonstrates this through…
Buffett rejects wealth as measure of success
Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha and tenth richest person in the world, says greatness does not come from accumulating money, publicity or government power.
“Greatness does not come about through accumulating great amounts of money, great amounts of publicity or great power in government.”
His fortune: one hundred sixty-three billion dollars
At ninety-six years old, Buffett boasts a fortune of one hundred sixty-three billion dollars, yet his lifestyle shows no sign of his wealth.
Kindness is the true measure of greatness
Buffett argues that helping others in thousands of ways helps the world. Kindness is costless but priceless, and everyone deserves respect regardless of status.
“When you help someone in any of thousands of ways, you help the world. Kindness is costless but also priceless.”
McDonald's meals and coupons
Buffett regularly eats at McDonald's, ordering items under four dollars. He once pulled coupons from his pocket to pay for Bill Gates' lunch at a Hong Kong McDonald's.
His Omaha home since nineteen fifty-eight
Buffett still lives in the five-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom Omaha home he bought for thirty-one thousand five hundred dollars in nineteen fifty-eight. He would not trade it for anything.
More houses would make life worse
Buffett says his standard of living would not improve with more possessions. Having six or eight houses or luxury items would make his life worse, not better.
“My life would not be happier…it'd be worse if I had six or eight houses or a whole bunch of different things I could have.”
The bottom line
Warren Buffett, worth one hundred sixty-three billion dollars, argues that greatness comes from kindness and helping others, not from money, and demonstrates this through his modest lifestyle.
