The stock market is more string than pearls

LIFE has been compared to pearls on a string: Long stretches of the mundane, followed by concentrated moments of unforgettable iridescent intensity.

As goes life, so goes investing in the stock market.

For instance, the large majority of companies you will ever encounter are run-of-the-mill stuff. You will be lucky to make a return of a few percentage points a year on them through business cycles.