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ARTICLE AD BOX
In the quote, Warren Buffett said that integrity, intelligence, and energy are the qualities that truly matter when choosing people to work with, especially in business or leadership.
Warren Buffett, the billionaire value investor and the former Berkshire Hathaway Chief Executive Officer (CEO), shared pearls of wisdom on quality hiring. He shed light on the three top qualities every hire must have in our quote for the day.
“Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy,” he said. “And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you. You think about it; it’s true.”
“If you hire somebody without [integrity], you really want them to be dumb and lazy,” Buffett added.
What does it mean?
In the quote, Warren Buffett said that integrity, intelligence, and energy are the qualities that truly matter when choosing people to work with, especially in business or leadership.
However, he emphasised that integrity must always come first because without the lack of it, the hire would use their intelligence to manipulate or deceive, and their energy to carry out harmful actions quickly.
In contrast, the billionaire said, if someone lacks intelligence or energy but has integrity, they will at least be honest, trustworthy, and unlikely to cause intentional harm.
Therefore, he said, if a dishonest person is smart and hardworking, they can cause major damage.
About Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett officially stepped down as Berkshire Hathaway's head by the end of the day on 31 December 2025. The billionaire value investor is now assuming the Chairman role.
Greg Abel, who is currently serving as Vice Chairman of the company, took over as the successor to Buffett for the CEO role from 1 January 2026.
In 1962, Buffett started buying up shares for $7.60 apiece, expanding Berkshire Hathaway from a struggling New England textile mill to a global conglomerate, according to an AP report. Berkshire Hathaway Class A stocks were at $755,400 apiece at the start of 2026, MarketWatch data showed.
Warren Buffett's net worth was estimated at $152 billion, making him the 10th richest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.
The data also showed that Buffett's net worth has witnessed a 6.7% or $9.54 billion increase on a year-to-date (YTD) basis in 2025, with the latest change being a $833 million addition to the value investor's fortune.
Heading Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett routinely outpaced the S&P 500 returns by buying insurance companies like Geico and National Indemnity, along with companies like Iscar Metalworking and Dairy Queen.
Buffett has also been famous for his long-term investment in companies like American Express, Coca-Cola and Apple.
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