Dee Hock: Atmosphere Ownership

Meaning of Dee Hock Money Quote: saying breathing is free for now, but may be controlled by corporate owners soon. Dee Hock said:
 

“With every inhalation, I take. With every exhalation, I give. How grand it is not to buy, sell, hold, or hoard breath. Would that it were so with money. Enjoy breathing while you can, for unless something changes, it won’t be long until government awards ownership of the atmosphere to some commercial corporation to price and meter out as they please” — Dee Hock

In this quote, Dee Hock is drawing a comparison between breathing and money. He notes that with breathing, people simply inhale and exhale without needing to buy, sell, hold or hoard their breath. Hock expresses a wish that money could function in the same free and open manner.

However, he warns that unless things change, it’s possible governments may one day “award ownership” of shared resources like the atmosphere to commercial corporations. This would allow those entities to price and meter out access to something universal like air as they see fit, similar to how the financial system works.

Overall, Hock seems to be criticizing how money is treated as a commodity under the control of corporations and subject to market forces, rather than something freely available to all for basic survival. He laments that money does not share the open and equitable nature of breathing. So the quote reflects on the differences between essential natural resources and the financial system.

Orson Welles: Make Money Hack

Orson Welles Money Quote saying that he feels a hobby should become a money-maker or be given up. Orson Welles said:
 

 

“I am essentially a hack, a commercial person. If I had a hobby, I would immediately make money on it or abandon it” — Orson Welles

Katherine Whitehorn: Retail Xmas

Katherine Whitehorn Money Quote saying that if Christmas didn’t exist that it would be commercially necessary to create it. Katherine Whitehorn said:
 

 

“From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it” — Katherine Whitehorn

Katherine Whitehorn is referring to the commercial importance of Christmas. She is saying that even if the religious and cultural traditions of Christmas did not already exist, businesses would feel compelled to create an equivalent winter holiday from a commercial perspective. The Christmas season is a huge time of year for retail sales, gift giving, and consumer spending.

So according to Whitehorn, if Christmas in its current form was not an established annual event, commercial interests would see the need to invent a similar winter celebration in order to drive consumer demand and boost the economy during the slowest months of the year.

Thomas Edison: Middleman Dollars & Cents

Thomas Edison Money Quote saying he brought the crazy ideas of inventors to profit by turning them into marketable products or commodities. Thomas Edison said:
 

 

“I am a sort of middleman between the long-haired and impractical inventor and the hard-headed businessman who measures all things in terms of dollars and cents. My principal business is giving commercial value to the brilliant but misdirected ideas of others” — Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison is cautioning inventors that developing and commercializing inventions is an expensive process that requires serious consideration of whether an invention can actually be sold profitably on the market. He notes that unless one has significant funds to spend without regard for financial losses, pursuing inventions purely as a hobby or amusement will likely end up being an extremely costly endeavor.

Edison’s point seems to be that inventors need to think practically about commercial viability and demand for their ideas, not just the inventing process itself, or they risk wasting a great deal of money trying to bring inventions to market that have little chance of earning back development costs. His advice is to properly assess saleability and avoid treating invention as an indulgent pastime without regard for financial sustainability.

Alexis de Tocquevillle: Commercial Passions

Alexis de Tocqueville Money Quote saying Americans get excited about commerce before politics. Alexis de Tocqueville said:
 

 

“The passions that stir the Americans most deeply are commercial and not political ones” — Alexis de Tocqueville