Li Lu Quotes

Whatever you are is because of what your ancestors have done.

Politically, China suppresses its people, but because the government allows some freedom in economic matters, business has become the ultimate expression of individuality.

Investing is about predicting the future, and the future is inherently unpredictable. Therefore, the only way you can do better is to assess all the facts and truly know what you know and know what you don’t know. That’s your probability edge.

Tiananmen did not fail.

Everyone has blind spots, and even the brightest people are no exceptions.

To us, anyone who opposes dictatorship is our friend. Those who support it, our enemy.

Part of the game of investing is to come into your own. You must find some way that perfectly fits your personality because there is some element of a zero sum game in investing. If you buy, somebody else has to sell. And when you sell, somebody has to buy. You can’t both be right.

Only by a process of peaceful evolution can China accomplish its own goals of being a free, prosperous, and strong country.

I was a college student in 1989 when I participated in the demonstration at Tiananmen Square. I was one of the organizers.

I was born in April of 1966, on the eve of the Cultural Revolution. Soon after, my parents and grandparents all lost personal freedom simply for being intellectuals. So I spent most of my childhood rotating between adopted families of peasants and coalminers.

At various stages in my life, I could have stopped, or took the long rest. For some reason, my heart told me otherwise. I just kept going. Half of the time, I wasn’t sure where I was heading. The other half, I was probably taking the wrong turns. No matter.

With free market and free man, if you remove one of them, it is not called capitalism in my dictionary.

The whole thing is, really, money makes money. That’s the whole thing about capitalism. Without the capital, there is no -ism.

Management is always part of the equation of making the company successful, so the quality of management always matters.

Free market never succeeded without free men and free society.

You can’t imagine a free market coupled with a dictatorship.

For the vast majority of mankind‘s history, economic activity consisted of finding energy and using energy.

Management always has a big influence on your success, no matter how good or how bad the business is itself.

A ‘competence‘ that has no defined borders cannot be called a true competence.

I think we Chinese are just as capable, as diligent, as hardworking, as peace-loving, and as creative as people everywhere.

I graduated from Columbia University in 1996 and founded my investment company in 1997, thus starting my professional investment career.

In my 40s, the two cultures finally came to peace with one other inside me, and I have come to identify myself as both 100% Chinese and 100% American simultaneously.

All companies incur expenses, some of which are fixed and bear no relation to sales volumes. In this way, profits can grow at a faster rate than sales.

The financial crisis of 2008-09 was in large part the result of the so-called ‘success’ of people who did not understand their fiduciary duty. This kind of ‘success’ is extremely harmful to all of society.

I have three lovely children. They are beautiful, talented, and kind-hearted. I’m most proud of them. I love them so much that I will never want to burden them with a large amount of inherited wealth.