Foster Friess Quotes

Powerful Foster Friess for Daily Growth

About Foster Friess

Foster Friess (born September 16, 1945) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and political activist from Wyoming. Known for his colorful phrases, Friess has left a significant imprint in various fields, including finance, politics, and philanthropy. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Friess served in the U.S. Army before earning a business degree from Bucknell University. He began his career working at Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, but his entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish his own investment firm, Friess Associates, in 1974. The company, which focused on value investing, quickly gained success and has been named one of the top mutual fund companies in the United States. Friess's political activism began in the 1980s when he supported Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign. In 2012, he entered the political arena himself by backing Rick Santorum for the Republican nomination for president. Some of his most notable quotes from this period include, "You just have to keep plugging away," and "We need a good spanking." Friess is also known for his philanthropic work, particularly in the area of pro-life activism. He co-founded the Susan B. Anthony List, a political action committee dedicated to electing candidates with pro-life views. He has been honored by several organizations for his efforts, including the Catholic League's 2015 William F. Buckley Award. In 2014, Friess sold Friess Associates to Affiliated Managers Group (AMG). Since then, he has continued his philanthropic work and political activism, including supporting Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. Despite his controversial statements, Friess remains a significant figure in American finance, politics, and philanthropy.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Freedom isn't free. It's not even $5 a head. It costs a lot more than that."

This quote by Foster Friess underscores the high cost, both figuratively and literally, of maintaining freedom. Freedom is not a cheap commodity, it demands significant effort, sacrifice, and investment from individuals and societies to uphold and protect it. It's a call to acknowledge and appreciate the true value of freedom, which goes beyond mere dollars or numbers.


"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now."

This quote by Foster Friess emphasizes that procrastination in taking action, especially for long-term goals or projects, has consequences. It suggests that the ideal time to start something beneficial was in the past, but since we can't change that, the second best moment is now. The message encourages people to take action promptly rather than waiting for the 'perfect' time or circumstances, as delaying can limit our potential success and progress.


"Wealth without work never sustains happiness."

This quote by Foster Friess suggests that genuine, lasting happiness cannot be achieved through simple possession of wealth; rather, it requires effort or work. In other words, the process of creating one's own fortune and the personal growth that comes with hard work contribute significantly to overall life satisfaction and happiness.


"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."

This quote by Foster Friess emphasizes the importance of embracing risk and being open to making mistakes in order to foster innovation and originality. By being willing to challenge established norms or conventional thinking, one can generate fresh ideas that might initially seem incorrect but could lead to breakthrough discoveries or solutions. Essentially, it encourages us to think outside the box and be fearless in our pursuit of new knowledge or ways of doing things.


"In life, as in investment, you need to know what you own, why you own it, and how to get out if it doesn't perform."

This quote by Foster Friess emphasizes the importance of understanding and being mindful about one's investments or actions. It suggests that knowledge is crucial in making informed decisions. You should know why you invested in something, whether it be a financial asset, a business, or an idea, and have a clear strategy for managing it. Furthermore, if things don't go as planned, having the ability to reassess and make adjustments when necessary is essential for long-term success. In essence, this quote serves as a reminder that being thoughtful, well-informed, and adaptable are key elements in achieving financial prosperity and personal growth.


Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs did not start out wealthy, and actually added to income inequality, but we all benefit from their creative effort.

- Foster Friess

Income, Wealthy, Added, None

Wealth is the ultimate panacea to poverty.

- Foster Friess

Wealth, Poverty, Ultimate, Panacea

I've said before, the number one thing that we have to work on is protecting the gay community from sharia law. Now, in the United States, it's probably not a big issue right now, but my brother-in-law is gay, and his partner and I would like them to be able to travel any place in the world without them risking harm.

- Foster Friess

Big, Before, Harm, Risking

You don't want to put all your lead on the target. You want to leave some arrows in the quiver.

- Foster Friess

Want, Leave, Some, Target

If we really want to cherish religious freedom, people who want to believe that same-sex marriage should take place, they have a right to believe that, and people who want to believe it's inappropriate, we should not demonize those people - if we really believe in religious liberty.

- Foster Friess

Want, Cherish, Religious, Inappropriate

I allowed Rick Santorum to express views and ideas that the American people never would have had expressed.

- Foster Friess

Ideas, Express, Allowed, Rick

On the national security front, Rick Santorum is superior to any candidate I know.

- Foster Friess

Security, Superior, National, Rick

Rick Santorum has so much potential and so much eagerness to serve our country.

- Foster Friess

Country, Serve, Eagerness, Rick

Rick Santorum is the grandson of a coal miner. His dad was the manager of a V.A. hospital.

- Foster Friess

Manager, Grandson, His, Rick

President Obama's over in Indonesia when guys like me were at a paper route. President Obama, I don't know what experience he had at that same age when he was in Indonesia. So I think it's hard for him to grasp that America entrepreneurial spirit.

- Foster Friess

I Think, Had, Obama, Indonesia

In certain states, if a woman makes $12,000 a year, and lives with her quarter-of-a million dollar boyfriend and they don't get married, as long as they don't get married, she gets maybe 20 or 30 thousand dollars in pre-tax benefits in terms of food stamps, health care and housing allowance.

- Foster Friess

Woman, Year, Benefits, Allowance

There's a group of people - maybe the secular Taliban is a good name for them - who have morphed this idea, that you have to accept my values being every bit as cherished as your values. That's not tolerance... There are too many things in this world which we sit back and tolerate.

- Foster Friess

Values, Idea, Maybe, Tolerance

Would-be adoptive parents have to struggle for years through a bureaucratic obstacle course at an average cost of $30,000.

- Foster Friess

Through, Average, Cost, Struggle

The collusion of big business, big labor, and big government threaten the spirit of small business that makes America great.

- Foster Friess

Business, Small, Big, Big Business

I'm not the hands-on guy. I like writing the check, and I turn it over to the guys that make it happen, much like the way I ran my business.

- Foster Friess

Business, Happen, Over, Ran

Go to Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, or any college and you'll see libraries, dormitories, and a lot of buildings that were a result of the generosity of fat cats.

- Foster Friess

College, Go, Libraries, Cleveland

I did one of those 'born again' things and invited Jesus to become the chairman of the board, of my life.

- Foster Friess

My Life, Born, Again, Board

Life is just so much fun and so filled with humor.

- Foster Friess

Humor, Just, Filled, So Much Fun

I think it's unfair that people can't give assets to whoever they want. When I die, my assets can go to my wife. And a gay person - you ought to have a system where maybe you can just say, 'You can give your assets to anybody you want.'

- Foster Friess

Die, Maybe, I Think, Ought

I think the thing I'd like to do is just educate the people to some of the travesties they can end.

- Foster Friess

Think, Some, I Think, Educate

It can be tough to find areas where Left and Right can agree. Consider the well-being of children: Americans often disagree about how to raise kids, how to educate them, even what to feed them.

- Foster Friess

Well-Being, Often, About, Educate

I have four kids. They are two years apart, and contraception has been very, very good to me.

- Foster Friess

Been, Four, Very, Apart

What do wealthy people do with their money? They can only buy so many cars, houses, and steak dinners. So we either give it away or invest it.

- Foster Friess

Give, Away, Wealthy, Dinners

In America, we have this bell curve of certain values. And then we have another bell curve of different values, which is the Republican Party. And they're out of sync right now.

- Foster Friess

Values, Curve, Which, Bell

I want to make sure the people we elect to office believe in America.

- Foster Friess

Office, Want, Sure, Elect

Santorum is the greatest person on the face of the planet as far as I'm concerned.

- Foster Friess

Face, Person, Concerned, As Far As

It's so sad to see how few people in the Obama administration have any private sector experience.

- Foster Friess

Private, Private Sector, Obama Administration

The United Nations Children's Fund reports that more than 18 million children worldwide have lost both parents to the ravages of AIDS, starvation, war or natural disasters.

- Foster Friess

Natural, United, Reports, Starvation

The press called me a billionaire, and my wife came up and said I must be squirreling money away.

- Foster Friess

Wife, Away, Billionaire, Press

Success should stem from entrepreneurial creativity, not political connectivity.

- Foster Friess

Success, Political, Should, Entrepreneurial

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