Warren Buffett’s record as an investor gets plenty of attention, but his comments about people are just as useful. He has returned to the same subjects: judgment, patience, honesty, and the trouble caused by unchecked emotion.
Emotional intelligence does not mean acting cheerful all day or suppressing real emotions. It means noticing what you feel, taking responsibility for your conduct, and avoiding the kind of impulse that can wreck a decision or a relationship. Buffett rarely uses this term itself, yet his principles offer a plain way to spot its absence.
1. Blowing Up When You Are Angry
“You can always tell someone to go to h*ll tomorrow.” Warren Buffett has shared this line as advice he received from Tom Murphy.
People can lose a great deal of reputation and relationships by responding angrily to an insult, a complaint, or an unfair message. Anger narrows their view. The reply may feel satisfying for five minutes and become expensive for years.
A pause gives a person time to decide what result they want, rather than merely releasing pressure. They can confront bad behavior later with their reputation and options for good decisions intact.
2. Ability Without Integrity
“In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will k*ll you.” Buffett has used this standard when discussing people he wants to trust.
Someone can be quick, persuasive, and ambitious while still doing damage wherever they go. A sharp mind without a moral filter can find clever ways to mislead people, dodge responsibility, or take credit for someone else’s work.
Integrity asks a harder question: what happens to other people after I get what I want? It separates confidence from manipulation.
3. Letting the Crowd Do Your Thinking
“What investors need instead is an ability to both disregard mob fears or enthusiasms and to focus on a few simple fundamentals.” Buffett wrote those words in Berkshire Hathaway’s 2017 shareholder letter.
Some people borrow their conviction from the room. They feel bold when everyone is excited, then turn fearful as soon as the mood changes. Their opinions can shift with headlines, social media, or whoever spoke last.
Independent judgment does not require stubbornness. It requires looking at the facts before taking emotional cues from a group.
4. Needing Everyone’s Approval
“A willingness to look foolish is also essential.” Buffett used this line to describe the patience required of investors.
The fear of looking foolish pushes people toward bad choices. They join trends they do not understand, stay quiet when a plan makes no sense, or spend money to keep up appearances.
There is no prize for making the same mistake as a crowd. A person with solid emotional control can handle a little disapproval. They are less likely to betray their own judgment to avoid an awkward moment.
5. Treating Every Mistake Like Someone Else’s Fault
“No one misled me in any way; I was simply too optimistic.” Buffett wrote this about Berkshire’s purchase of Precision Castparts.
Defensive people often explain away every bad outcome. A failed plan was caused by the market, poor timing, or someone below them.
Buffett did not blame management for his own price judgment in the Precision Castparts deal. He named the error and its reason. That is how a mistake becomes useful instead of repeating itself in a new form.
6. Resenting Other People’s Credit
“Some people think there’s a limited little pot of admiration to go around… But it’s just the opposite.” Buffett has used this observation while talking about the generosity of spirit.
Jealousy can make another person’s good news feel like a personal loss. It shows up as a backhanded compliment, a quick change of subject, or an urge to point out why the achievement does not count.
Giving credit costs nothing. Secure people can applaud talent without making the moment about themselves.
7. Making Plain Problems Complicated
“There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.” Buffett has made this observation about the way people complicate decisions.
Unclear language can be a hiding place. A person may pile up jargon, schedules, and meetings because a direct answer would force them to choose, disappoint somebody, or admit that a plan is failing.
Many problems deserve careful thought. Others need a candid conversation and a decision. Emotional maturity helps people tell the difference before delay turns a manageable issue into a mess.
8. Saying Yes to Everything
“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” Buffett has tied achievement to protecting time and attention.
Overcommitting is often mistaken for generosity or drive. A person who can’t decline requests gives away hours needed for work, health, or the people closest to them.
A clear no is kinder than a reluctant yes followed by poor follow-through. Boundaries do not make someone selfish. They show that the person understands what they can actually handle in their schedule without neglecting other responsibilities.
9. Chasing Excitement Instead of Doing the Work
“The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect.” Buffett has stressed that steady judgment matters more than showing off intelligence.
Exciting opportunities can tempt people away from the work already in front of them. The new deal, the quick win, and the impressive story often look better than the slow effort that produces real competence.
That pattern appears in business and investing. Patience is less glamorous, but it leaves evidence behind.
10. Spending Your Mind and Body Carelessly
“You only get one mind and one body.” Buffett has used this simple point when speaking to students about long-range choices.
People can sacrifice sleep, concentration, health, and close relationships for a temporary gain. The bill can arrive in the form of exhaustion, poor judgment, or distance from the people they care about.
Your mind does not work apart from your body. Treating both well improves patience and makes stress easier to manage. That is not a luxury reserved for quiet periods. It is the base for handling demanding ones.
Conclusion
Low emotional intelligence is rarely a dramatic flaw. It appears in small, recurring reactions: the angry email, the excuse, the envy, the need to be included, and the refusal to slow down.
Buffett’s example points toward a tougher standard than simply sounding smart. Control your temper. Own the bad call. Give other people credit, keep your word, and protect the assets you will need for the rest of your life.