The Last Letter …

Wing Commander Pravinkumar Padalkar
Nov 15, 2025
3 min read

When Warren Buffett took charge of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, he was just 34 years old.

Since then, he has written one letter every year to his shareholders. Each letter is filled with timeless lessons on discipline, human behaviour, rational thinking, patience, and how to live well and build wealth the right way.

That's why, when Warren Buffett writes, the world listens.

Across all these years, Buffett’s message has stayed the same:

Discipline beats intelligence,
Patience beats prediction, and
Character beats cleverness.

Now at 95, he is preparing to step back. His final letter was published on November 10, 2025, marking the end of an extraordinary six-decade tradition.

This last letter is special because it sums up 90 years of wisdom into one simple truth:

Investing is rarely about money. It is almost always about behaviour.

Timeless Wisdom From The Last Letter

Buffett’s final letter isn’t about markets or predictions. It’s about leadership, gratitude, discipline, and how we choose to behave.

It is a life wisdom from a 95-year-old mentor who has seen success, failure, luck, and human nature.

For retail investors, these are the most valuable lessons we can ever learn.

Here are a few important quotes from the letter.

1. “Get the right heroes and copy them.”

Choose the Right Role Models.

2. “Keep in mind that the cleaning lady is as much a human being as the Chairman.”

Your Behaviour Defines You More Than Your Success

3. “Envy and greed walk hand in hand.”

Ego and Envy Are the Real Enemies

4. “Don’t beat yourself up over past mistakes, learn at least a little from them and move on.”

Don’t Beat Yourself Up: Learn and Move Forward

5. “Greatness does not come about through accumulating great amounts of money… When you help someone in any of thousands of ways, you help the world.”

Aim for a Life of Meaning, Not a Life of Money

6. “Decide what you would like your obituary to say and live the life to deserve it.”

Think About the Legacy You Are Creating

7.“I was born in 1930, healthy, reasonably intelligent, white, male and in America. Wow! Thank you, Lady Luck.”

Luck Matters More Than People Admit

8. “You will never be perfect, but you can always be better.”

It’s Never Too Late to Change

9. “Our stock price will move capriciously, occasionally falling 50%… Don’t despair; America will come back and so will Berkshire shares.”

Stay Calm Through Market Volatility

10. “I move slowly and read with increasing difficulty, but I am at the office five days a week.”

Keep Going, Even When Life Slows You Down

The Final Word

Warren Buffett’s final letter reminds us that investing is not just about capital; it is about character.

Markets will move, cycles will change, and numbers will rise and fall, but the qualities that truly compound over a lifetime are kindness, humility, patience, gratitude, and discipline.

His message goes far beyond portfolios. It is a guide to how we should think, behave, and live.

And as Buffett has often said, the real measure of a life is not wealth, but how you are remembered: