Like many people interested in investing, I first came across Charlie Munger through Warren Buffett. At first, he seemed like the quieter half of the Berkshire Hathaway duo—the sharp-witted sidekick with the zingers and the glasses. But the more I read about him, the more I realized he wasn’t just an investing legend—he was someone who had earned his wisdom the hard way.
And honestly, that’s what drew me in.
Because Charlie Munger didn’t just build wealth. He built resilience. He lived through stuff that would break most people—and came out of it smarter, stronger, and more composed.
🧱 A Life That Wasn’t Supposed to Be Easy
Charlie was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1924. He studied math, served in World War II, and somehow got into Harvard Law without even finishing undergrad. That already tells you something about him—he didn’t wait for permission or perfect conditions. He just moved.
But behind the sharp mind and sharp tongue was a man who endured incredible hardship.
Divorce and Losing Custody
In his late 20s, Munger went through a messy divorce—a huge deal at a time when divorce was taboo. He lost custody of his kids, and from everything I’ve read, it broke his heart.
I’ve never been through something like that, but I know what it’s like to watch a part of your life fall apart and still have to show up the next day. Munger didn’t sulk. He got to work. He kept learning. He kept going.
“You can’t change the cards you’re dealt — just how you play the hand.”
That quote hits hard. It’s not about toxic positivity—it’s just... acceptance, in the most practical way.
Losing His Son
In 1955, his 9-year-old son Teddy died of leukemia. I can’t even imagine the pain of that. Munger didn’t talk about it much, but when he did, he was stoic. Not cold. Just honest about the futility of self-pity.
“Live life and do what you’re supposed to do. Don’t whine.”
How many of us can say that when life kicks us in the gut?
Going Blind in One Eye
Later in life, a botched surgery left him blind in one eye and in chronic pain. Did he complain? No. He taught himself to read again with one eye and just... carried on.
“Envy, resentment, revenge and self-pity are disastrous modes of thought.”
That’s the thing about Munger—he didn’t waste time on emotions that didn’t serve him. Not because he didn’t feel them, but because he had made a decision to be rational, no matter what.
🧠 Thinking Like Munger
Beyond the personal stuff, Munger was a machine when it came to mental clarity. He believed that most people fail not because they’re dumb, but because they use narrow thinking.
He talked about “mental models”—essentially frameworks pulled from multiple disciplines. You don’t solve problems with just one lens. You mix in psychology, physics, history, economics. It’s a toolbox, not a hammer.
“You must know the big ideas in the big disciplines and use them routinely—all of them, not just a few.”
And then there’s his obsession with inversion thinking. Instead of asking, “How can I succeed?” he’d ask, “What would cause me to fail?” and then avoid those things.
“All I want to know is where I’m going to die, so I’ll never go there.”
Dark humor, classic Charlie. But also weirdly... effective.
⏳ The Power of Patience
Charlie wasn’t just smart. He was patient. He knew that real success comes from compounding—of money, of knowledge, of effort.
“The big money is not in the buying or the selling, but in the waiting.”
That applies to so much more than investing. Relationships. Career. Health. It’s all about doing the right things consistently—and letting time do the heavy lifting.
💬 What I Take Away from Charlie
Charlie Munger died in 2023, just short of his 100th birthday. But I don’t think of him as gone. His ideas live on in books, speeches, random YouTube clips... and in quiet moments where I ask myself, “What would Munger do?”
And the answer is almost always:
Think clearly.
Be honest.
Don’t wallow.
Keep going.
That’s a life worth emulating—not because it was easy, but because he earned every inch of his wisdom.
If you're ever feeling lost or overwhelmed, go read a few Munger quotes. They won’t fix everything. But they’ll remind you that clarity, discipline, and grit can take you further than almost anything else.