Buffett by Roger Lowenstein Summary
Overview of Buffett
Dive into the definitive portrait of Warren Buffett, whose paper-route hustle evolved into billion-dollar wisdom. While Charles Munger endorses this bestseller, its real magic reveals how a shy, frugal contrarian defied Wall Street and built history's most respected fortune through patience and intrinsic value.
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Key takeaways
The Boy Who Saw Dollar Signs in License Plates
Picture a nine-year-old sitting on a front porch in Omaha, Nebraska, counting cars as they pass. But this isn't a bored child passing time-he's calculating potential revenue streams, lamenting to his friend's mother what a "shame" it is they aren't monetizing all that traffic. While neighborhood kids traded baseball cards, Warren Buffett was memorizing city populations, tracking letter frequencies in newspapers, and conducting his own informal census of passing vehicles. Something was different about this kid, and it wasn't just precocious intelligence. It was an almost supernatural ability to see the world through the lens of compound interest and opportunity cost. Born in 1930 to stockbroker-turned-congressman Howard Buffett, Warren inherited more than just genes-he absorbed a worldview where every penny represented future empires. His childhood read like a master class in entrepreneurship: selling gum door-to-door, delivering newspapers, collecting golf balls to resell, even installing pinball machines in barbershops. At eleven, he made his first stock purchase-three shares of Cities Service at $38 each. When the price plummeted to $27, most kids would have panicked or lost interest. Warren held on, selling at $40 for a modest $5 profit. Then he watched in agony as the stock climbed to $200. That moment of premature selling would haunt him, teaching a lesson worth millions: patience isn't just virtue; it's the secret ingredient of wealth creation. Despite his family's religious devotion, Warren couldn't make the leap of faith-too mathematical, too logical. Instead, he developed a paralyzing fear of death and an obsessive need to control his financial future, traits that would paradoxically make him one of history's greatest risk managers.
The Damascus Moment at Columbia
The Bedroom Office Revolution
The American Express Epiphany
Walking Away at the Top
The Berkshire Transformation and Coca-Cola Masterstroke
The Oracle's Enduring Wisdom
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
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"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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