John Templeton was born and raised in Tennessee. After completing his education and acquiring an economics degree from Yale University, he proceeded to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, gaining an ace of expressions in law in 1936. Upon his arrival to the United States, Templeton settled in New York City, where he filled in as a student for Fenner and Beane, an antecedent firm of Merrill Lynch. Being an admiration contrarian financial specialist, Templeton’s standards pushed him toward stocks that had been completely ignored. Part of Templeton’s achievement in his endeavors was his location. John Templeton has some great counsels on finances and investments. May his quotes inspire you to be a giver so that you may make a positive difference in the world.
1. “Remember, no investment is forever.” John Templeton
2. “Don’t panic. The time to sell is before the crash, not after.” John Templeton
3. “Bull markets are born on pessimism, grown on skepticism, mature on optimism and die on euphoria. The time of maximum pessimism is the best time to buy, and the time of maximum optimism is the best time to sell.” Sir John Templeton
4. “An investor who has all the answers doesn’t even understand all the questions.” John Templeton
5. “A cocksure approach to investing will lead, probably sooner than later, to disappointment if not outright disaster.” John Templeton
6. “The wise investor recognizes that success is a process of continually seeking answers to new questions.” John Templeton
7. “High ethics and religious principles form the basis for success and happiness in every area of life” John Templeton
8. “Even if we can identify an unchanging handful of success principles, we cannot apply these rules to an unchanging universe of investments—or an unchanging economic and political environment. Everything is in a constant state of change…” John Templeton
9. “I thought, I’m only going to be on this planet once, and only for a short time. What can I do with my life that will lead to permanent benefits?” John Templeton
10. “There’s no free lunch.” John Templeton
11. “If we become increasingly humble about how little we know, we may be more eager to search.” John Templeton
12. “The only reason to sell them a stock now is to buy other, more attractive stocks. If you can’t find more attractive stocks, hold on to what you have.” John Templeton
13. “It is nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” John Templeton
14. “Learn from your mistakes.” John Templeton
15. “For all long-term investors, there is only one objective – maximum total real return after taxes” John Templeton
16. “The only way to avoid mistakes is not to invest—which is the biggest mistake of all.” John Templeton
17. “Tell your readers to use it or lose it. If you don’t use your muscles, they get weak. If you don’t use your mind it begins to fail.” John Templeton
18. “Forgive yourself for your errors. Don’t become discouraged, and certainly don’t try to recoup your losses by taking bigger risks. Instead, turn each mistake into a learning experience. Determine exactly what went wrong and how you can avoid the same mistake in the future.” John Templeton
19. “Defer pleasure until the job is done.” John Templeton
20. “The investor who says, this time is different, when in fact it’s virtually a repeat of an earlier situation, has uttered among the four most costly words in the annals of investing.” John Templeton
21. “I focus on spiritual wealth now, and I’m busier, more enthusiastic, and more joyful than I have ever been.” John Templeton
22. “The big difference between those who are successful and those who are not is that successful people learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of others.” John Templeton
23. “If you begin with a prayer, you can think more clearly and make fewer mistakes.” John Templeton
24. “If you want to become really wealthy, you must have your money work for you.” John Templeton
25. “Outperforming the market is a difficult task.” John Templeton
26. “I wouldn’t call it radical; I would call it enthusiasm for progress.” John Templeton
27. “The challenge is not simply making better investment decisions than the average investor. The real challenge is making investment decisions that are better than those of the professionals who manage the big institutions.” John Templeton
28. “Success is a process of continually seeking answers to new questions.” John Templeton
29. “The main focus in my life now is to open people’s minds so no one will be so conceited that they think they have the total truth. They should be eager to learn, to listen, to research and not to confine, to hurt, to kill, those who disagree with them.” John Templeton
30. “A successful life depends less on how long you live than on how much you can pack into the time you have.” John Templeton
31. “My ethical principal in the first place was – where could I use my talents that God gave me to help the most people?” John Templeton
32. “It’s self-centered to think that human beings, as limited as we are, can describe divinity.” John Templeton
33. “Never forget: the secret of creating riches for oneself is to create them for others.” John Templeton
34. “Work at being a humble person.” John Templeton
