Why Did S.G. Warburg Prefer the Classics to Banking?

David Senra says S.G. Warburg preferred a thorough knowledge of the classics and of English and German literature to his widely admired skill in banking. A working knowledge of Greek and Latin was, for Warburg, a better preparation for merchant banking than a study of modern finance management techniques and economics.

Banking associates were often puzzled when he admitted the preference. He called a classical education wonderful because it helps a person develop logical thinking and perceive quickly and accurately what is read. He was an example of a wider habit. Almost all of the merchant bankers were voracious readers, and they held that reading history, philosophy, and the classics is far better than reading about business, because the books give an understanding of humans.

The judgment the work kept demanding was whether another person could be trusted, whether he could be relied on, and whether it was wise to enter business with him.