Unfortunately, he wasn’t interviewed for the latest issue of Fortune, for which the cover story is “The Best Advice I Ever Got,” but presumably that’s what he would’ve said. People who were actually questioned for the article include Lloyd Blankfein (who said the best pearl of wisdom ever laid on his ass was “empower a subordinate“), Mohamed El-Erian (“Push beyond your comfort zone“), Jim Rogers (“read“), and Meredith Whitney (who lied and said the best piece of advice she ever got was “set realistic goals” when we all know it was “establish a safeword beforehand”). The wisest thing anyone ever told Julian Roberston was that you’ll make a lot more friends/clients getting hammered and doing magic tricks at parties than you will talking shop.
The best advice I ever got came from my sister Wyndham [who later became an assistant managing editor at Fortune]. She called me one night after we’d been to a cocktail party in the early 1960s and said, “You’re becoming a business bore. No one is interested in talking all night long about stocks. Quit being a business bore.” After trying to refute her, I realized she was right. So I stopped being a business bore. I found other topics to discuss. And I found that when I ceased being a business bore — and quit pushing my views about the market on everyone — that people came to be more interested in any advice that I might have to give. At the time I was a broker starting out, and it helped me acquire clients. I think the same thing is true as a parent with your kids. If you give advice, it’s not nearly as well received as when it’s asked for.
If any of you leading lights have some wisdom to impart, please do so at this time.
Let me give you 3 rules to live by.
1. Never get less than 12 hours of sleep a night.
2. Never play cards with a guy who has the same last name as a city.
3. Never, and I mean never, get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger anywhere on her body.
Stick by those rules and you’ll be allright.
The best advice I ever got was from my old boss, Al Greenspan. He told me:
1. talk like you know your shit, even when you don’t
2. cut rates like a thai hooker with the clap.
3. when in doubt, print it out.
–Bernanke
http://dealbreaker.com/2008/09/scenes-from-a-bailout.php
Yeah but if a blowjob is volunteered it avoids the awkwardness of having to ask for it.
The best advice I ever got: “have another drink.”
-Ken Lewis
Best I ever got:
No one gives a rat’s ass about your track record as long as you keep ‘em glued to the TV (aka misdirection).
–James Cramer
The best advice I ever got was “keep your high heels on, it’ll heighten the sensation for both of you.”
–ping jiang
“Avoid the clap” -Jimmy
Twinkies are an acceptable breakfast.
–sc
It’s all bullshit.
“Never real Dealbreaker sober.”
– Lobsterclops
Dick Bove told me to buy Citi
I am a mutual fund manager. What is a dick bove?
Use Turbo Tax
-T.G.
On my first day at work, my boss bestowed this bit of knowledge on me (I’m sure applies to most of you as well).
“If you want to sleep with beautiful women, you have to have either: 1) good looks, 2) a big cock or 3) a lot of money; so if I was you, I’d get to work.”
@14 how did you boss know you didn’t have a big cock?
@15 It was just a summer job before college, but I think he was tipped off when I told him I wanted to work in finance. True story though.
-14
@16- nice. what do you do now?
With thine relations eat and drink, but do no business.
-Greek proverb
@17 Bang my secretary in the ass.
-14
My first boss said – Nobody knows nothing.
But @14 made me laugh.
Never trust anyone from Gold Sack.
-Maxine
My boss said- Tomorrow is another day.
Before starting a career take a long hard look at those who have done it. Think about whether you want to end up like them because odds are you will.
Before you bullshit me bullshit each other first
-G. Sweeny
Founder – Sturdy Wings
Mortadella THEN provolone.
-C. Gasparino
two in the pink, one in the stink
“If you got what you want and nobody noticed it was a good day.”
Plt. Sgt in Nam
Win if you can,
Lost if you must,
But always cheat!
Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.
- Oogway