Try this: Flip a coin with a friend. Each toss is a $1 bet. you start with $4, your friend starts with a $1,000. Let us know how much money you end up with.
Quote from spd:
How many times have you been stopped out on a trade that continued in your direction? Money management is key.
Quote from jedwards:
Most traders are risk adverse with their profits and risk-taking with their losses. I read this in Market Wizards.
Basically that means, when you have a profit, you are more apt to cut the trade short, whereas if you have a loser, you are more apt to risk your current losses in "hopes" that it will recover.
Thus, your losses will always be bigger than your profits.