Our lives are busy, busy, busy. That's why, when we stop to read something amusing, we may sometimes feel guilty and remember that there are more serious things that need reading, not to mention (for some of us) articles that need to be written, and laundry that needs to be done. Go ahead and permit yourself the chuckle, though -- because sometimes you can get some investment benefit out of unexpected places.
For example, consider Wired's 2006 Foot-in-Mouth Awards. As I read through them, I realized that the quoted famous people who said regrettable things were offering me some investing insights.
For example, Seagate
Microsoft
Anyone counting on Microsoft to keep dominating on the back of Gates' prophetic visions might want to reconsider. If you're placing your faith in CEO Steve Ballmer instead, note that he explained that he's laid down the following law to his children: "You don't use Google, and you don't use an iPod." To me, that's not encouraging. I'd rather have my CEO use and explore competitive technologies than ignore them.
As a more inspiring example of CEO-speak, consider this Steve Jobs nugget from 1998: "It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."
Then there's Ken Kutagari of Sony's
Another depressing quotation is from IBM's
So next time you're reading the words of a corporate bigwig, think about what you're really hearing.
Longtime Fool contributor Selena Maranjian owns shares of Microsoft, which is an Inside Value recommendation. The Motley Fool has a full disclosure policy.