Learning From the Eminent Dead

You’ve heard of Warren Buffett, but have you heard of his curmudgeonly partner, Charlie Munger? Munger is notoriously unafraid to bluntly state what’s on his mind, a sort of counterpoint for Buffett whenever they appear together (at ages 99 and 93 respectively).

Munger is also regarded highly for his wisdom, having collected and distilled ideas over the decades. He attributes a great deal of his own wisdom to what he calls “the eminent dead.” Charlie says you can certainly learn from the living, but there are centuries of brilliant minds that have been written about.

Biographies are the best—you can lose yourself in a narrative, learn what shaped the person into who they became, and take some lessons away. And, in spite of never meeting these eminent dead, I’ve learned a great deal from many of them.

I want to call attention to three opportunities I’ve had to learn from these folks over the years.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman with cervical…