Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet–a man often referred to in the financial pages as the “Oracle of Omaha”–is known for dispensing the kind of advice that investors like to hear. So it may surprise you to know that, when asked earlier this month by Huffington Post Senior Editor Willow Bay about the best piece of advice he had ever received, his answer had little to do with Wall Street, money and finance. Instead, they reflected something of immeasurable value that his father had demonstrated for him repeatedly over his lifetime:
“The power of unconditional love. I mean, there is no power on earth like unconditional love. And I think that if you offered that to your child, I mean, you”re 90 percent of the way home. There may be days when you don”t feel like it — it”s not uncritical love; that”s a different animal — but to know you can always come back, that is huge in life. That takes you a long, long way. And I would say that every parent out there that can extend that to their child at an early age, it”s going to make for a better human being.”
See the video here.
It is not often that we hear such touching words from a billionaire, even one with such a modest lifestyle who is also planning on giving away 99% of his fortune during his lifetime or at his death. In announcing his intention to donate his fortune to charity on July 13, Buffet referred to time as “the most precious asset” (Pursuitist.com 7/13/10) and noted how his three children generously of their time to help others.
Even in a world where power and money often reign supreme, I cannot think of two better gifts for children than time and unconditional love. Can you?