J. Paul Getty: Everyone Selling

Meaning of J. Paul Getty Money Quote: saying being a contrarian makes a successful investor – don’t follow the money crowd. J. Paul Getty said:
 

 

“Buy when everyone else is selling and hold until everyone else is buying. That’s not just a catchy slogan. It’s the very essence of successful investing” — J. Paul Getty

In this quote, J. Paul Getty seems to be conveying fundamental principles of value investing. Some key points:

• Getty advises buying assets when “everyone else is selling” – implying that is when prices are lowest due to widespread pessimism in the market.
• He suggests holding those investments until “everyone else is buying” again – indicating riding the assets until typical optimism and high prices return as sentiment improves.
• Getty states this approach of contrarian buying low and selling high is not just a catchphrase but rather “the very essence of successful investing” long-term.
• The quote captures the idea of buying assets that are temporarily undervalued due to crowd psychology or short-term thinking, and having the discipline to wait patiently until their intrinsic worth is once again recognized more broadly.

Overall, Getty appears to be promoting a strategy of buying sound investments when fear is high but fundamentals remain intact, and holding through volatility until optimism returns – an approach that seeks to profit from other investors’ short-term emotional decisions rather than trying to outguess short-term market swings through timing. It emphasizes the importance of a long-term, value-oriented mindset.

Birthday: December 15, 1892 – Death: June 6, 1976

Michael K. Williams: Not Gangster

Michael K. Williams Money Quote saying his character was nothing like the characters he played, which frightened him. Michael K. Williams said:
 

 

“I am the epitome of the underdog. By societies standards I should have been dead a long time ago, and I was nobody’s gangster, I wasn’t a thug, I wasn’t selling drugs on the corner – I was scared of that” — Michael K. Williams

In this quote, Michael K. Williams seems to be reflecting on having overcome significant obstacles and adversity in his life and career. Specifically:

• Williams states that by “societies standards” based on his background and circumstances growing up, he should not have achieved much or even survived according to expectations.
• However, he defied the odds and stereotypes as the “epitome of the underdog” who beat the odds through his own determination and talents.
• Williams also wants to make clear that despite portraying gritty characters, he did not actually engage in the dangerous, illegal activities often associated with his environment like drug dealing.

The best interpretation is that Williams takes pride in succeeding greatly as an actor despite facing socioeconomic barriers and disadvantages that statistically predicted more negative outcomes according to the standards of his environment.

He overcame the underdog label through his own perseverance and by carving his own path in life according to this quote reflecting on his journey against the odds to professional accomplishment.

Birthday: November 22, 1966 – Death: September 6, 2021

Benjamin Franklin: Buying Pleasure

Benjamin Franklin Money Quote saying we may believe that we are buying pleasurable experiences even though we are in fact selling our soul. Benjamin Franklin said:
 

 

“Many a man thinks he is buying pleasure, when he is really selling himself to it” — Benjamin Franklin

In this quote, Benjamin Franklin is cautioning against becoming overly indulgent or addicted to pleasure and enjoyment. He suggests that when people spend excessively to obtain pleasure, they may feel as though they are “buying” it. However, Franklin warns that in reality they are “selling themselves” or losing their independence and free will to pleasure.

His view is that giving in to every desire can make one enslaved to chasing pleasure and compromise one’s principles. Franklin appears to be advocating for moderation and self-control rather than allowing oneself to be ruled by constant gratification according to this interpretation.

Birthday: January 17, 1706 – Death: April 17, 1790

Henry David Thoreau: Sell Servants

Henry David Thoreau Money Quote saying we lack the drive and belief in ourselves, so instead live as slaves to work. Henry David Thoreau said:
 

 

“Through want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants” — Henry David Thoreau

In this quote, Henry David Thoreau is criticizing how many people passively accept their circumstances in life and act merely as “servants” to the routines of commerce. When he refers to a “want of enterprise and faith”, he means a lack of initiative, ambition and self-determination.

Thoreau seems to believe that if people had more courage to explore new opportunities through “enterprise” and conviction in their own abilities through “faith”, they would not be so content to just “buy and sell” in service of others without advancing their own conditions.

The quote suggests Thoreau viewed passive participation in the economic system of his day, without efforts to achieve greater independence or fulfillment, as a wasted life spent in subservience rather than pursuing one’s potential.

Birthday: July 12, 1817 – Death: May 6, 1862

Robert Louis Stevenson: Sell, Live

Robert Louis Stevenson Money Quote saying we all have something of value we exchange to live our lives. Robert Louis Stevenson said:
 

 

“Everyone lives by selling something” — Robert Louis Stevenson

In this quote, Robert Louis Stevenson is recognizing that making a living and participating in the economy requires exchanging something of value. He’s pointing out that in some way, everyone contributes to society through offering goods, services, skills or labor that they can then use to fulfill their own needs and wants.

Whether it’s through a traditional job, freelance work, entrepreneurship, or other means, Stevenson is acknowledging that to live and thrive, people must provide or “sell” something that others find useful in return for compensation.

The quote suggests he views participating in the marketplace as a universal human truth, and that finding ways to offer value to others is an inherent part of sustaining oneself and one’s livelihood.

Birthday: November 13, 1850 – Death: December 3, 1894

Lily Tomlin: No Buyers of Integrity

Lily Tomlin Money Quote saying anyone can look like they are unwilling to sell their integrity if there are no buyers who want some of it. Lily Tomlin said:
 

 

“Truth is, I’ve always been selling out. The difference is that in the past, I looked like I had integrity because there were no buyers” — Lily Tomlin

In this quote, Lily Tomlin is humorously reflecting on her career and approach to commercial success in the entertainment industry. She states that in reality, she has “always been selling out” by being willing to take on roles or projects for financial gain rather than strictly artistic purity.

However, Tomlin notes that in the past when her talents were less in demand, it appeared she had “integrity” because there were simply no lucrative offers for her to consider “selling out” for at the time due to lack of popularity or opportunities.

The quote conveys Tomlin’s self-aware perspective that she has been pragmatically open to monetizing her talents when possible, but that early in her career this was obscured by her relative obscurity meaning fewer chances to “sell out”, even if that was always her inclination.

Overall, she is jokingly owning her willingness to compromise principles for profit or exposure, while acknowledging external factors also played a role in how her priorities were perceived.

Dr. Seuss: Bigger Factory Shipping

Dr. Seuss Money Quote saying growing a business is all any business wants, regardless of consequences. Dr. Seuss said:
  

 

“I had to grow bigger so bigger I got. I biggered my factory, I biggered my roads, I biggered the wagons, I biggered the loads, of the Thneeds I shipped out I was shipping them forth from the South, to the East, to the West. To the North, I went right on biggering selling more thneeds. And I biggered my money which everyone needs” — Dr. Seuss

In this quote from Dr. Seuss’s book “The Lorax”, the character known as the Once-ler is describing how his business of making and selling a fictional product called “Thneeds” continued to expand rapidly. Some key points:

• He notes that he “had to grow bigger” to keep up with demand, so he enlarged his factory and transportation infrastructure like roads and wagons.
• The Once-ler boasts that he was “shipping them forth” coast to coast and increasing his shipments constantly to keep up sales.
• As his business “biggered” and sold “more thneeds”, this also led to “biggering” his personal wealth and profits exponentially.

Overall, the Once-ler is portraying in rhyming verse how his company grew enormously through aggressive expansion, massive production and distribution to achieve huge financial gains – but this rapid growth had unintended environmental consequences that the story addresses.

Birthday: March 2, 1904 – Death: September 24, 1991

Alain Wertheimer: Business Sells Pleasure

Alain Wertheimer Money Quote saying that luxury goods are rarely about utility, but more about personal perception of success. Alain Wertheimer said:
 

 

“We’re in the business of selling pleasure. We don’t sell handbags or haute couture. We sell dreams” — Alain Wertheimer

In this quote, Alain Wertheimer is describing the luxury goods industry from the perspective of Chanel, the fashion house he co-owns. By stating that the business sells “pleasure” and “dreams” rather than the tangible products themselves, Wertheimer is suggesting that luxury brands appeal to non-material desires through the aspirational images and lifestyles they project.

The interpretation is that Wertheimer views high-end fashion and accessories not as mere commodities, but rather as vehicles to market an intangible sense of glamour, status and fulfillment to consumers.

His message conveys that luxury brands profit not from functional items alone, but from the emotional fulfillment and identity construction they facilitate through the “dreams” of opulence and sophistication associated with their brand images. According to Wertheimer, the real “product” is an idealized lifestyle experience, of which material goods are a means to an aspirational end.