Q&A with Charlie Munger

I’ve been making slow progress through Poor Charlie’s Almanack – a compilation of Charlie Munger’s wisdom.

I was struck by a few of the notes in a page today with some Q&A.

“What should a young person look for in a career?”

“I have three basic rules. Meeting all three is nearly impossible, but you should try anyway:

• Don’t sell anything you wouldn’t buy yourself
• Don’t work for anyone you don’t respect and admire.
• Work only with people you enjoy.”

“What overall life advice do you have for young people?”

“Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Step-by-step you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. But you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts. Slug it out one inch at a time, day-by-day, and at the end of the day – if you live long enough – like most people, you will get out of life what you deserve.

Life and its various passages can be hard, brutally hard. The three things I have found helpful in coping with its challenges are:

• Have low expectations.
• Have a sense of humor.
• Surround yourself with the love of friend and family.

I love the simple three-point answers to both questions. They’re pithy, thoughtful, and pack a punch.

That ability to keep it simple while being insightful is a mark of wisdom.