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It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.

Warren Buffett

Interview, 2015 · Gecheckt op 10 juni 2026
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.

Analyse

Warren Buffett has indeed said, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it," but the earliest documented source is a 1993–1994 Fortune magazine interview, not a 2015 interview. The added clause "If you think about that, you'll do things differently" is a paraphrase not found in the original quote. Therefore the statement misrepresents the timing and exact wording.

Achtergrond

The quote is frequently cited in business literature to illustrate the fragility of reputation. It has been reproduced in numerous articles and quote databases, often without precise citation. No reliable transcript or video from a 2015 interview contains this exact phrasing.

Samenvatting verdict

The quote is genuine but was not made in a 2015 interview; it dates back to the early 1990s.

Geraadpleegde bronnen

— Fortune Magazine, "The Oracle of Omaha" interview, 1993 (archived via Bloomberg).
— Business Insider, "Warren Buffett's most famous quotes" (2020), which cites the original Fortune source.
— Snopes, "Did Warren Buffett say it takes 20 years to build a reputation?" (accessed 2024).