“But if Smith was right, and gold and silver became money through the natural workings of the market completely independently of governments,… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
“The real origin of the democratic spirit - and most likely, many democratic institutions - lies precisely in those spaces of improvisation… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
“Political economy tends to see work in capitalist societies as divided between two spheres: wage labor, for which the paradigm is always… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
“Politics, after all, is the art of persuasion; the political is that dimension of social life in which tings really do become… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
“Normally, when you challenge the conventional wisdom—that the current economic and political system is the only possible one—the first reaction you are… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
Meanwhile, the U.S. debt remains, as it has been since 1790, a war debt; the United States continues to spend more on… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
“Insofar as there is a politics, here, it seems a variation on a theme seen since the dawn of capitalism. Ultimately, it’s… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
People don't have an ongoing relation unless it's a form of debt because everything is an exchange, so ongoing relationships are incomplete exchanges, and… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
I would like, then, to end by putting in a good word for the non-industrious poor. At least they aren’t hurting anyone. Insofar as… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
“But if Smith was right, and gold and silver became money through the natural workings of the market completely independently of governments, then wouldn't… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
“A revolution on a world scale will take a very long time. But it is also possible to recognize that it is already starting… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
“money has no essence. It's not "really" anything; therefore, its nature has always been and presumably always will be a matter of political contention.” — David Graeber Copy Share Image
We don't live in a capitalist totality. Capitalism couldn't survive as a totality anyway. We live in this complex system and we already live… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
The working poor are the people suffering out subprime mortgages and fatal loans and more and more of our money - you know, capitalism… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
“Solitary pleasures will always exist, but for most human beings, the most pleasurable activities almost always involve sharing something: music, food, liquor, drugs, gossip,… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
“The criminalization of debt, then, was the criminalization of the very basis of human society. It cannot be overemphasized that in a small community,… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
If you imagine that everything is an exchange, then we're supposed to just transact and walk away. If we haven't walked away and we… — David Graeber Copy Share Image
