Recently, billionaire investor Charlie Munger died at the age of 99. Known for his decades-long partnership with Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway, Munger built a legacy not only through financial acumen but also through a set of principles he insisted were deceptively simple: live below your means, keep learning, act with integrity, and avoid toxic people and toxic activities.

Munger’s language was as straightforward as it was uncompromising. In a May Q&A at the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting, he urged people to “get them the hell out of your life — and do it fast” when they encounter those who lie, deceive, or fail to meet commitments. While much of the advice from financial titans can feel disconnected from the daily realities of most people, this point resonates across all walks of life. The company you keep shapes the life you live.

My mother always told me, “Show me who your friends are and I’ll show you who you are.” Over the years, I have come to understand that the same applies to hiring. Show me who you hire, and I’ll show you who you are. In leadership, whether running a classroom, a university, a business, or a social movement, the people you bring close are a direct reflection of your values. Every hiring decision is more than filling a position. It is a public statement about the kind of culture you want to build and the kind of standards you are willing to uphold.

In my own work on equity and justice in education, Munger’s advice applies far beyond the realm of investing. Toxicity is not confined to the corporate boardroom. In schools, universities, and nonprofits, the wrong partnerships can derail progress as surely as a bad stock trade. You cannot advance educational justice if you are constantly untangling yourself from people whose values undercut your mission. The costs are not just emotional or reputational. They are strategic. Every hour spent managing the fallout of toxic behavior is an hour stolen from the work of building a better system.

Sometimes this toxicity comes wrapped in charisma or expertise. On the surface, the person seems like a high-value addition. But look closer and you may see patterns of broken commitments, dishonesty, divisive behavior, or self-serving ambition. Leaders who ignore those red flags often find themselves paying the price later. In my career, I have seen how easy it is for organizations to be seduced by a resume or a confident pitch, only to discover that the hire undermines trust, corrodes morale, and drains resources. Munger’s advice is a reminder that speed matters in removing toxicity. Allowing it to linger can undo years of good work.

That does not mean we abandon people who are struggling or imperfect. Growth is a human process and none of us are without flaws. The difference lies in intent and pattern. Munger’s warning is not about turning away from those who make mistakes but are committed to learning from them. It is about protecting your time, energy, and moral clarity from those who consistently choose deception, selfishness, or sabotage. In social justice work, that distinction is crucial. It is the difference between standing in solidarity with a flawed but committed ally and handing influence to someone who will use it to hollow out your cause.

Munger also championed personal discipline. He urged people to spend less than they earn, keep learning throughout their lives, invest shrewdly, and maintain focus when others panic or chase fads. These habits, he said, make success almost certain. Without them, you will need a lot of luck to make it.

Warren Buffett added his own layer of wisdom about avoiding costly mistakes. He recalled advice from his friend and business partner Tom Murphy: “You can always tell someone to go to hell tomorrow.” It is a simple way of saying that patience often protects your reputation better than instant retaliation. In the age of social media, where outrage can be weaponized in seconds and reputations can be damaged in minutes, this advice is especially relevant. The impulse to respond immediately can feel righteous, but the long-term consequences often outweigh the short-term satisfaction. Waiting until tomorrow allows emotions to cool, facts to emerge, and better judgment to prevail.

Buffett also urged people to “write your obituary and figure out how to live up to it.” Far from morbid, this is an exercise in clarity and intentionality. What do you want people to say about your character, your contributions, and your impact? Are you living in a way where the obituary writes itself in acts of kindness, courage, and integrity? Or will someone have to polish the truth to make it sound better than it was?

Translating these principles to the fight for equity in education produces a clear guide: Live below your means, not just financially but in terms of ego. Avoid overextending yourself for the sake of prestige or attention. Keep the focus on the mission rather than personal recognition. Keep learning, especially from those on the margins. The most creative, effective, and humanizing solutions often come from communities that have been ignored or underestimated. Act with integrity, because trust, once lost, is nearly impossible to regain in movements that rely on collective effort and solidarity. Avoid toxicity, because you cannot dismantle unjust systems while replicating their worst behaviors in your own spaces. Hire wisely, because every person you bring into your work environment shapes the culture, the outcomes, and the legacy you will leave behind.

Munger was candid about one more thing. These rules are “so trite,” he said. They are simple enough to be reduced to bullet points. But their simplicity does not make them easy to live by. The real challenge is not knowing them. It is refusing to abandon them when shortcuts, easy wins, or emotional impulses seem tempting.

This is where my mother’s saying comes back to mind. The people you surround yourself with are not just companions or colleagues. They are a mirror. They reflect your values back to the world, for better or worse. That is true for your friends, your professional peers, and the people you choose to hire. When you consistently surround yourself with people of integrity, reliability, and shared purpose, you reinforce your own commitment to those traits. When you tolerate toxicity, you signal to everyone watching that it is acceptable.

In education, leadership, and activism, the stakes are too high to be careless about these choices. We work in environments where trust is the currency that makes change possible. Once it is spent on the wrong people, it is hard to earn back. The process of building a movement, running a school, or guiding an organization is slow, deliberate work. There is no surplus of energy or resources to waste on those who will not uphold the mission.

Buffett’s reminder to “think twice before you give someone a piece of your mind” and Munger’s insistence on removing toxic influences quickly are two sides of the same coin. Both speak to the discipline required to protect your reputation and your mission. One is about exercising patience before acting. The other is about acting decisively when the evidence is clear. Together, they form a strategy for leadership that balances reflection with courage.

As leaders, educators, and advocates, we are writing our obituaries every day in the choices we make. Each decision about who to trust, who to hire, and who to stand beside is part of that story. Integrity is not an occasional posture. It is a pattern, and it is revealed in the people we choose to let into our lives and our work.

In the end, the obituary you are writing with your life will not be edited by your intentions. It will be written in your actions.

Please share.

BTW. When I asked AI to make me a picture of Buffet and Munger picking a team on the playground, AI chose to put “Buckets” on Buffet’s jersey. I am not sure if its independent sense of humor should be applauded or is simply terrifying.

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Julian Vasquez Heilig is a nationally recognized policy scholar, public intellectual, and civil rights advocate. A trusted voice in public policy, he has testified for state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, while also advising presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. His work has been cited by major outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, and he has appeared on networks from MSNBC and PBS to NPR and DemocracyNow!. He is a recipient of more than 30 honors, including the 2025 NAACP Keeper of the Flame Award, Vasquez Heilig brings both scholarly rigor and grassroots commitment to the fight for equity and justice.