It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours a... — Warren Buffett

It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you'll drift in that direction.

Author: Warren Buffett

Insight: There's something almost magnetic about this idea once you notice it happening in your own life. You don't need willpower or constant self-improvement projects if you're simply around people who naturally do things better than you do. Their standards become the baseline. You show up on time because they do. You listen more carefully. You think twice before saying something mean. It's osmosis, not heroics. The tricky part is that most of us drift the opposite direction without realizing it. We stay comfortable in our existing circles, where everyone shares the same habits and blind spots. Then we wonder why we're not changing. But upgrading your social circle isn't about being a snob—it's about honest self-knowledge. If you want to read more, find readers. If you want to be more patient, spend time with patient people. If you want to handle money better, don't take financial advice from people who are broke. What makes this uncomfortable is that it sometimes means leaving people behind or spending less time with folks you care about. But Buffett's point cuts deeper: you're not really choosing between people so much as choosing between versions of yourself. The people you spend the most time with aren't just your friends—they're your future.

Source: The Tao of Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett's Words of Wisdom, p. 51, 2006