• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
MPWMost Powerful Women

Here are Warren Buffett’s zingers from this year’s Most Powerful Women Summit

By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 17, 2015, 12:14 PM ET
Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit 2015
October 13th, 2015. Washington, D.C., USA Fortune Most Powerful Women 2015 Summit 9:20 am CONVERSATION Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Interviewer: Carol Loomis, Retired Senior Editor at Large, Fortune Photograph by Stuart Isett/Fortune Most Powerful WomenStuart Isett Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs

Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, is well-known for making wisecracks from time to time. And when he was invited to speak with Fortune’s Carol Loomis at the Most Powerful Women Summit this year, he certainly didn’t disappoint.

Here’s a look at some of his best zingers from the event.

At one point during the conversation, Loomis quizzed Buffett on his thoughts about activist investors and, notably, whether he’d ever consider becoming one. “What is your own personal appetite for joining with the activists?” she asked. “Well, it’s zero,” he replied. “Zero. Yeah.”

The discussion covered Wall Street, too. The Berkshire Hathaway CEO and billionaire investor offered his humorous perspective on how people interact there.

“Carol and I had a friend that described Wall Street in terms of the way it operates as having the innovators, the imitators, and the swarming incompetence,” he said, as the room of executives broke out into laughter. “And essentially that’s the way money attraction is.”

With the upcoming U.S. election for president, Loomis took the opportunity to ask Buffett for his views on politics: “It’s a great spectator sport,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to be a participant, but I like it as a great spectator sport.”

Buffett, a supporter of Hillary Clinton who predicted that she would run for president and win, also answered a question about the email controversy that has rocked Clinton’s candidacy recently: “And how about the email controversy?” asked Loomis. “Do you think that could maybe have been handled a little bit better?”

“Yeah. it could’ve been handled better,” he said with a grin. “Yeah.”

The discussion didn’t only center on politics and investing. Buffett also took some time to talk about marriage, too: “My partner Charlie Munger said if you want to guarantee yourself a life of misery, marry somebody with the idea of changing them.”
[fortune-brightcove videoid=4555209253001]

Loomis next asked: “Didn’t he also say if you want to have a happy marriage…” At that point, Buffett put up his hand to interject: “No. He said if you want to have a marriage that will last,” prompting more laughter from the room. “He said, ‘What quality do you look for in a spouse? Do you look for beauty? Do you look for brains? Do you look for character? Do you look for honesty? Do you look for humor?’ No, no no,” added Buffett. “You want to marry the last—look for someone with low expectations.”

In his annual letter to shareholders from 2015, Buffett also provided a feast of one-liners, as collected by Fortune’s Stephen Gandel. Just a taste: He discussed why managers should be objective in their investing, saying: “If horses had controlled investment decisions, there would have been no auto industry,” Buffett wrote.

About the Author
By Benjamin SnyderManaging Editor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Benjamin Snyder is Fortune's managing editor, leading operations for the newsroom.

Prior to rejoining Fortune, he was a managing editor at Business Insider and has worked as an editor for Bloomberg, LinkedIn and CNBC, covering leadership stories, sports business, careers and business news. He started his career as a breaking news reporter at Fortune in 2014.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in MPW

Olympic champion Eileen Gu’s advice for women seeking her heights of career success: Don’t be a small fish in a big pond, ‘Create your own pond’
MPWMost Powerful Women
Olympic champion Eileen Gu’s advice for women seeking her heights of career success: Don’t be a small fish in a big pond, ‘Create your own pond’
By Emma HinchliffeMarch 31, 2026
2 days ago
Can Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In take on tradwives and the manosphere?
NewslettersMPW Daily
Can Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In take on tradwives and the manosphere?
By Emma HinchliffeMarch 27, 2026
6 days ago
Influencer Alix Earle turned her worst insecurity into her first brand. This is her plan to monetize her 14 million followers and make it last
MPWMost Powerful Women
Influencer Alix Earle turned her worst insecurity into her first brand. This is her plan to monetize her 14 million followers and make it last
By Emma HinchliffeMarch 26, 2026
7 days ago
The youngest-ever female CEO of a Fortune 500 company is fighting Trump’s cuts to keep Medicaid strong
MagazineCentene
The youngest-ever female CEO of a Fortune 500 company is fighting Trump’s cuts to keep Medicaid strong
By Diane BradyMarch 24, 2026
9 days ago
Three Asias, three different playbooks: How PepsiCo’s Anne Tse views the world’s fastest-growing snack market
AsiaPepsiCo
Three Asias, three different playbooks: How PepsiCo’s Anne Tse views the world’s fastest-growing snack market
By Nicholas GordonMarch 20, 2026
13 days ago
Inside one CEO’s battle to get a tariff refund: ‘We did take a beat to consider the best path’
NewslettersMPW Daily
Inside one CEO’s battle to get a tariff refund: ‘We did take a beat to consider the best path’
By Claire ZillmanMarch 18, 2026
15 days ago

Most Popular

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they're turning 'welcomer cities' into the next big tech towns
Real Estate
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they're turning 'welcomer cities' into the next big tech towns
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
7 hours ago
Current price of gold as of April 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of April 1, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 1, 2026
1 day ago
Two-thirds of parents say their adult Gen Z kids still rely on them financially  for support—even though it's putting them under strain
Success
Two-thirds of parents say their adult Gen Z kids still rely on them financially  for support—even though it's putting them under strain
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of April 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 1, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 1, 2026
1 day ago
Jerome Powell says the $39 trillion national debt is ‘not unsustainable,’ but warns the trajectory ‘will not end well’
Economy
Jerome Powell says the $39 trillion national debt is ‘not unsustainable,’ but warns the trajectory ‘will not end well’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 30, 2026
3 days ago
2 years after Musk challenged Zuckerberg to a cage match, they were texting about DOGE and a joint OpenAI bid, court records reveal
Law
2 years after Musk challenged Zuckerberg to a cage match, they were texting about DOGE and a joint OpenAI bid, court records reveal
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.