Quotes from Michael Steinhardt

Art is a form of asset. Hedge-fund managers who have made money fast should diversify into other areas.

I was happier when pursuing success than I was when savoring its fruits; the attraction, perhaps the addiction, was in the process, as much as in its end.

Speculative joy, the joy derived from being right and being rewarded, may well be similar to the rush felt by a winning gambler.

A little part of my life is built around ancient art.

In North America, the greatest threat to the Jewish people is not the external force of antisemitism, but the internal forces of apathy, inertia and ignorance of our own heritage.

You have to be intellectually honest with yourself and others. In my judgment, all great investors are seekers of truth.

The Orthodox believe in Jewish literacy, and most of the rest of us couldn't care less. Rabbis and other creatures have a monopoly on Judaism. This is a turnoff in a world that is increasingly secular and that has turned away from religion. Jews are simply turning away from Judaism.

The hardest thing over the years has been having the courage to go against the dominant wisdom of the time, to have a view that is at variance with the present consensus and bet that view.

Part of my attraction to ancient art is that there is an element of risk, of speculation.

If you see a wonderful archaic Greek marble object in a museum, it's not only that it's beautiful, but what comes to your mind is the fact that it's 2,600 or so years old, and it was done by a human being at that time who you have such a limited ability to grasp - and yet you have this enormous ability to grasp.

When your views are truly contrarian, they are inevitably uncomfortable. Courage and the ability to withstand pain are required.

The balance between confidence and humility is best learned through extensive experience and mistakes.