While plagiarism is a surefire way to land in trouble in creative fields like songwriting, Warren Buffett believes copying can be a smart strategy in the world of investing—provided you understand what you’re borrowing.
Speaking at the 1995 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, Buffett emphasized the value of learning from others: “If you learn reasonably well from other people, you don’t have to get any new ideas or do much on your own. You can just apply the best of what you see.”
Buffett himself credits much of his investment philosophy to the insights of Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor and Philip Fisher’s Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits. For Buffett, success isn’t about reinventing the wheel—it’s about recognizing wisdom and applying it effectively.
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© 2025 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.