Sublime

Charlie detests placer mining, the process of sifting through piles of sand for specks of gold. Instead, he applies his “big ideas from the big disciplines” to find the large, unrecognized nuggets of gold that sometimes lie in plain sight on the ground.

Like Franklin, Charlie has made himself into a grandmaster of preparation, patience, discipline, and objectivity.

if you want to be a good thinker, you must develop a mind that can jump the jurisdictional boundaries.

The quotes, talks, and speeches presented here are rooted in the old-fashioned Midwestern values for which Charlie has become known: lifelong learning, intellectual curiosity, sobriety, avoidance of envy and resentment, reliability, learning from the mistakes of others, perseverance, objectivity, willingness to test one’s own beliefs, and many more

Remember that reputation and integrity are your most valuable assets—and can be lost in a heartbeat.

Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.

When you don’t know and you don’t have any special competence, don’t be afraid to say so.

have a strong incentive to prevent all waste in operations within their ownership.