Ray Dalio Quotes

140 Ray Dalio Quotes

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[In 2011.] You can follow one of two paths to happiness: 1) have high expectations and strive to exceed them, or 2) lower your expectations so that they are at or below your conditions. Most of us choose the first path, which means that to be happy we have to keep evolving.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] People need meaningful work and meaningful relationships in order to be fulfilled.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] I believe that the need to have meaningful work is connected to man’s innate desire to improve.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] It is a fundamental law of nature that to evolve one has to push one’s limits, which is painful, in order to gain strength – whether it’s in the form of lifting weights, facing problems head-on, or in any other way.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Most learning comes from making mistakes, reflecting on the causes of the mistakes, and learning what to do differently in the future.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] When you don’t want to face what’s really happening, you can’t make sound decisions.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Successful people understand that bad things come at everyone and that it is their responsibility to make their lives what they want them to be by successfully dealing with whatever challenges they face. Successful people know that nature is testing them, and that it is not sympathetic.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] You can probably get what you want out of life if you can suspend your ego and take a no-excuses approach to achieving your goals with open-mindedness, determination, and courage, especially if you rely on the help of people who are strong in areas that you are weak.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Character is the ability to get one’s self to do the difficult things that produce the desired results.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] If you have a large enough sample size – if you have a large number of decisions… over time, luck will cancel out and skill will have a dominant role in determining outcomes. A superior decision=maker will produce superior outcomes.
Ray Dalio



[In 2011.] I believe that nature is symbiotic – and that we must give to it for it to give back.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011 on a 5-step process to getting what you want out of life.] ‘The process’ consists of five distinct steps: Have clear goals. Identify and don’t tolerate the problems that stand in the way of achieving your goals. Accurately diagnose these problems. Design plans that explicitly lay out tasks that will get you around your problems and on to your goals. Implement these plans – ie., do these tasks.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] By and large, life will give you what you deserve and it doesn’t give a damn what you ‘like.’ So it’s up to you to take full responsibility…
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Remember that in the long run, doing the things that will make you successful is a lot easier than being unsuccessful.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] No matter how many mistakes you make, there will be plenty of opportunities to build a track record of success.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] To achieve your goals you have to prioritise, and that includes rejecting good alternatives (so that you have the time and resources to pursue even better ones – time being probably your limiting factor, though, through leverage, you can substantially reduce time’s constraints).
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Avoid setting goals based on what you think you can achieve… Every time I set goals, I don’t yet have any idea how I am going to achieve them because I haven’t yet gone through the process of thinking through them But I have learned that I can achieve them if I think creatively and work hard.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] If I commit to bringing creativity, flexibility and determination to the pursuit of my goals, I will figure out some way to get them, i.e., almost all goals are attainable.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] As I don’t limit my goals to what seems attainable at the moment I set them, the goals I set tend to be higher than they would otherwise be. Since trying to achieve high goals makes me stronger, I become increasingly capable of achieving more.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Most problems are potential improvements screaming at you… The more painful the problem, the louder it is screaming.
Ray Dalio



[In 2011.] Identifying problems is like finding gems embedded in puzzles; if you solve the puzzles you will get the gems that will make your life much better.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Recognizing and learning from one’s mistakes and the mistakes of others who affect outcomes is critical to eliminating problems.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Most learning comes from making mistakes and experiencing the pain of them – eg. Putting your hand on a hot stove – and adapting.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] More than anything else, what differentiates people who live up to their potential from those who don’t is a willingness to look at themselves and others objectively.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Designing precedes doing!
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Frequently I see people feel great about doing their tasks while forgetting the goals they were designed to achieve, resulting in the failure to achieve their goals. This doesn’t make any sense, because the only purpose of tasks is to achieve goals.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Everyone has weaknesses. The main difference between unsuccessful and successful people is that unsuccessful people don’t find and address them, and successful people do.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Life is like a game where you seek to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving your goals.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Bridgewater is based on the core belief that everyone here is evolving together.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] By and large, you will get what you deserve over time.
Ray Dalio



[In 2011.] Think like an owner, and expect the people you work with to do the same.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Train people; don’t rehabilitate them.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Understand that the ability to deal with not knowing is far more powerful than knowing.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Don’t bet too much on anything. Make 15 or more good, uncorrelated bets.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011 on the 80/20 rule.] Don’t be a perfectionist.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Never say anything about a person you wouldn’t say to them directly…
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] I once had a ski instructor who had taught Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, how to ski. He explained that Jordan enjoyed his mistakes and got the most out of them. At the start of high school, Jordan was an unimpressive basketball player; he became a champion because he loved using his mistakes to improve.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Don’t worry about looking good – worry about achieving your goals.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] When you experience pain, remember to reflect.
Ray Dalio

[In 2011.] Ego often stands in the way of acknowledging your weaknesses (which is the essential first step in overcoming them), like being afraid to ask a question because people might think you’re stupid because you don’t know something. Yet acknowledging those weaknesses (e.g. ‘I know I’m a dumb sh*t, but I’d just like to know…’) helps you move beyond ego toward learning and improving.
Ray Dalio



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