Keep it Simple

“The reason our ideas haven’t spread faster is they’re too simple.” Charlie Munger

“Take a simple idea and take it seriously.” Charlie Munger

“People under-rate the importance of a few simple big ideas” Charlie Munger

“If you don’t quickly comprehend what a company is doing, then management probably doesn’t either” Seth Klarman

“The first lesson is to keep it simple.” Jim Tisch

“I discovered at Harvard that simple is always better than complicated.  When you see a lot of theory, you end up discovering that everything good is generally simpler than the more complicated things, and this also affected me for the rest of my life”  Jorge Paulo Lemann

“We prioritize the simple and easy, and quickly discard the complicated “ Allan Mecham

“I always tried to reduce everything to what is essential” Jorge Paulo Lemann

“Some of the best analysts I have dealt with have enjoyed explaining complicated situations and how a company could turn itself around and so forth. I always tell them that they are smart, but the more complication they try to read into the story, the higher the probability that they will make a mistake. I tell them that there is nothing wrong with making money through simple investment ideas. After all, that's what Warren Buffett has done for years. As he has said, he doesn't jump over seven-foot bars; he looks for one-foot bars that he can easily step over! “ Jean-Marie Eveillard

“We look for simple businesses that we can understand and where we believe the companies ten years from now will be selling the same basic products and services they are today.” Francois Rochon

“Our ideas are so simple that people keep asking us for mysteries when all we have are the most elementary ideas.”  Charlie Munger

“I agree with Warren to keep it simple and not use higher mathematics in your analysis”  Walter Schloss

"Our investments continue to be few in number and simple in concept:  The truly big investment idea can usually be explained in a short paragraph.  We like a business with enduring competitive advantages that is run by able and owner-oriented people.  When these attributes exist, and when we can make purchases at sensible prices, it is hard to go wrong (a challenge we periodically manage to overcome).  Investors should remember that their scorecard is not computed using Olympic-diving methods:  Degree-of-difficulty doesn't count." Warren Buffett 

“Keep it simple. Your thesis should be on the back of a postcard if it’s right.”  Bruce Berkowitz

“Our failure here illustrates the importance of a guideline – stay with simple propositions – that we usually apply in investments as well as operations. If only one variable is key to a decision, and the variable has a 90% chance of going your way, the chance for a successful outcome is obviously 90%. But if ten independent variables need to break favorably for a successful result, and each has a 90% probability of success, the likelihood of having a winner is only 35%.  Warren Buffett

“We like businesses that are simple to understand and simple to discuss” Larry Robbins

“The business schools reward difficult complex behaviour more than simple behaviour, but simple behaviour is more effective.  Warren Buffett

“I do believe in simplicity, and that one’s investment process should be simple. It should not be difficult to understand a company’s fundamentals and prospects to a sufficient degree of accuracy. It should not be difficult to see past short-term issues and focus on long-term potential.”Ed Wachenheim

"Ben Graham taught me 45 years ago that in investing it is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results." Warren Buffett