After a down day for the market, Cramer tells investors to have patience

• CNBC's Jim Cramer told investors on Thursday to have patience and not sell off stock of companies they think will succeed, even when the market seems to be on the decline.
• "Rather than trying to trade in and out — selling everything and then trying to buy it all back at lower levels — I think you need to learn how to ride out these moments, unless stocks aren't for you," Cramer said.

After a down day for the market, CNBC's Jim Cramer told investors to have patience. If you've invested in fundamentally good companies, wait for the sell-offs to end, he advised.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 290.91 points, or 0.84%, marking the first time the 30-stock index closed below the 50-day moving average since June 1. The S&P 500 fell 0.77% and the Nasdaq Composite declined 1.17%.

"Rather than trying to trade in and out — selling everything and then trying to buy it all back at lower levels — I think you need to learn how to ride out these moments, unless stocks aren't for you," Cramer said. "See, I think if you're patient, I believe you'll do better sticking with stocks rather than hiding out in Treasurys."

Cramer urged investors to accept pullbacks the way they do inclement weather. Thursday's market moves reminded Cramer of his experience with Intuit, a business-service software company that now trades in the $480s. During 2010's flash crash, the stock's price drifted in the $30 to $40 range, according to FactSet. In the years since then, the stock has traded up and down before reaching the highs it's been hitting the past few years.

Cramer stressed that sometimes good companies have hiccups, and that investors should try to ride out downtrends if they believe their companies will succeed. In fact, investors would be wise to buy good companies into the dip instead of selling them, he advised.

"I don't want you sacrificing huge potential gains like Intuit on the altar of perceived safety," he said. "Because when you look back, trying to sidestep these relatively small declines tends to give you worse returns than simply staying the course and riding out that rainstorm."

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