One Up on Wall Street
by Peter Lynch
Mentioned 2 times across 1 show · first heard Mar 2026 on My First Million.
The general take
Both Mohnish Pabrai and Bill Gurley credit Peter Lynch's One Up on Wall Street as a formative book that sparked their interest in investing. Pabrai picked it up randomly at an airport and loved it despite having no prior investment experience, while Gurley read it as an engineer and found himself unconsciously testing the ideas through trading. For both, the book proved to be a gateway into the world they'd eventually dedicate their careers to.
About
More than one million copies have been sold of this seminal book on investing in which legendary mutual-fund manager Peter Lynch explains the advantages that average investors have over professionals and how they can use these advantages to achieve financial success. America’s most successful money manager tells how average investors can beat the pros by using what they know. According to Lynch, investment opportunities are everywhere. From the supermarket to the workplace, we encounter products and services all day long. By paying attention to the best ones, we can find companies in which to invest before the professional analysts discover them. When investors get in early, they can find the “tenbaggers,” the stocks that appreciate tenfold from the initial investment. A few tenbaggers will turn an average stock portfolio into a star performer.
Who said what
Mohnish Pabrai👍 Recommends
…how reading a peter lynch book at the airport introduced randomness into monish's life and led to his investing career
“In 94, I'm at Heathrow Airport with my wife and I'm looking for something to read on the flight pack. And I pick up one of Peter Lynch's books, one up on Wall Street. And I'm never invested in a stock, not really interested in investing, don't even know much about it. I read the book and loved it.”
My First Million — Mohnish Pabrai: How to be a top 1% investorat 07:26
Bill Gurley👍 Recommends
…testing career interest through part-time stock trading inspired by Peter Lynch book
“And, like, when I was an engineer and before I went to Wall Street, it turns out I had read Peter Lentz's one up on Wall Street. I was trading stocks in my spare time. So, unconsciously I was testing that in this field that I would eventually go towards.”
My First Million — Bill Gurley: 6 Out of 10 People Are Making This Mistakeat 35:10
Listener reviews
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