Dana Gioia on the Voice of Money
on Tuesday, October 29, 2013Dana Gioia Money Quotation saying in this excerpt from ‘The Lions of Winter’, that we allow money to speak to others and others believe it can speak for us. Dana Gioia said:
“Money. You don’t know where its been, but you put it where your mouth is. And it talks” — Dana Gioia
In this quote, Dana Gioia uses vivid language to characterize money as something somewhat unsanitary or of unknown origins. By saying one doesn’t know “where its been” but still “put[s] it where your mouth is,” he implies money passes through many hands and places before one spends it, just as food/drink bound for the mouth.
The line that money also “talks” reinforces this notion of currency as a medium for exchanging more than just goods/services – it conveys information about oneself and society through its use. Overall, Gioia presents an imaginative perspective of money as a symbolic and communicative substance in addition to its practical functions.