--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: using money as a “neutral indicator of…" description: "\"“using money as a “neutral indicator of value”—a way of determining whether or not you have enough career capital to succeed with a pursuit. I called t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/cal-newport-1302_money_using-money-as-a-neutral-indicator-of-va_2129140.jpg" --- # using money as a “neutral indicator of value”—a way of… ![“using money as a “neutral indicator of value”—a way of determining whether or not you have enough career capital to succeed with a pursuit. I called this the law of financial viability, and concluded that it’s a critical tool for navigating your own acquisition of control. This holds whether you…” quote by Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/cal-newport-1302_money_using-money-as-a-neutral-indicator-of-va_2129140.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/cal-newport-1302_money_using-money-as-a-neutral-indicator-of-va_2129140.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74f/cal-newport-1302_money_using-money-as-a-neutral-indicator-of-va_2129140.jpg) > ““using money as a “neutral indicator of value”—a way of determining whether or not you have enough career capital to succeed with a pursuit. I called this the law of financial viability, and concluded that it’s a critical tool for navigating your own acquisition of control. This holds whether you are pondering an entrepreneurial venture or a new role within an established company. Unless people are willing to pay you, it’s not an idea you’re ready to go after.”” [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Career capital is measured by the willingness of others to pay for your work; if no one pays, the idea lacks viability. **In simple terms:** Your value is proven by others paying for it. Key Takeaway Validate demand before committing. Themes career finance validation entrepreneurship Mood cautious analytical motivational Type advice strategic When to use this quote - startup planning - job change - product launch - freelance pitching Key Concepts human capital market demand risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What evidence do you have that people will pay for your idea? - How can you test market willingness cheaply? A Different Perspective If you cannot pay yourself, you may still succeed with other motivations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Financial Viability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financial-viability-4381258/) [Indicator Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indicator-value-4381259/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money Neutral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-neutral-2894386/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Using Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-money-297788/) [Viability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viability/) ## Related quotes > [“Money is a neutral indicator of value. By aiming to make money, you’re aiming to be valuable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/money-is-a-neutral-indicator-of-value-by-aiming-to-make-money-you-re/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [It's hard to align with money if you think that it is evil and nasty. But once you come to an understanding that money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-wilde/it-s-hard-to-align-with-money-if-you-think-that-it-is-evil-and-nasty/) [Stuart Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-wilde/) > [“You take corporate money and give it to a neutral-sounding think tank,” which “hires people with pedigrees and academic degrees who put out credible-seeming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/you-take-corporate-money-and-give-it-to-a-neutral-sounding-think-tank/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [It is our action that determines the viability of our dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/it-is-our-action-that-determines-the-viability-of-our-dream/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [I do believe in the viability of Indian spiritualism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-welch/i-do-believe-in-the-viability-of-indian-spiritualism/) [James Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-welch/) > [One corpse in a well destroys the viability of the well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-reeves/one-corpse-in-a-well-destroys-the-viability-of-the-well/) [Eric Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-reeves/) > [I have worked with big actors, but honestly, I don't judge the viability of a project on the basis of the star value attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/i-have-worked-with-big-actors-but-honestly-i-don-t-judge-the/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [I do films once in a while. There should be some viability when I come on screen otherwise all the years of good work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohnish-bahl/i-do-films-once-in-a-while-there-should-be-some-viability-when-i-come/) [Mohnish Bahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohnish-bahl/) > [Good design successfully manages the tensions between user needs, technology feasibility, and business viability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/good-design-successfully-manages-the-tensions-between-user-needs/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [Sometimes being a musician has little to do with viability and everything to do with survivability. Many musicians start out great, and they wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-rundgren/sometimes-being-a-musician-has-little-to-do-with-viability-and/) [Todd Rundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-rundgren/) > [“At most unsuspected moments, we may all be victims of life's mishaps and realize we must ask ourselves how to run up the hill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/at-most-unsuspected-moments-we-may-all-be-victims-of-life-s-mishaps/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“You can keep going on much less attention than you crave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/you-can-keep-going-on-much-less-attention-than-you-crave/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“It is not only the viability and variety of the seed that makes the harvest look plumpy. Sometimes, the soil must value the value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/it-is-not-only-the-viability-and-variety-of-the-seed-that-makes-the/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Someone tells me: this kind of love is not viable. But how can you evaluate viability? Why is the viable a Good Thing? Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/someone-tells-me-this-kind-of-love-is-not-viable-but-how-can-you/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [Everything we know about human nature and about government tells us that individuals using their own money will achieve far more good for themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/everything-we-know-about-human-nature-and-about-government-tells-us/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) ## More by Cal Newport > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“many software companies now deploy the Scrum project management methodology, which replaces a lot of this ad hoc messaging with regular, highly structured, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/many-software-companies-now-deploy-the-scrum-project-management/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“when paying more than $1,000 a day to write the chapter in a suite of an old hotel down the street from a Hogwarts-style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/when-paying-more-than-1-000-a-day-to-write-the-chapter-in-a-suite-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“When deciding whether to follow an appealing pursuit that will introduce more control into your work life, seek evidence of whether people are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/when-deciding-whether-to-follow-an-appealing-pursuit-that-will/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Let your mind become a lens, thanks to the converging rays of attention; let your soul be all intent on whatever it is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/let-your-mind-become-a-lens-thanks-to-the-converging-rays-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“study by Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow. In this study, a group of management consultants were asked to disconnect for a full day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/study-by-harvard-business-school-professor-leslie-perlow-in-this/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“if it’s rare and valuable, it’s not easy to get. This insight brought me into the world of performance science, where I encountered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/if-it-s-rare-and-valuable-it-s-not-easy-to-get-this-insight-brought/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Here’s the routine: Once a week I require myself to summarize in my “bible” a paper I think might be relevant to my research.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/here-s-the-routine-once-a-week-i-require-myself-to-summarize-in-my/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“craftsman mindset is the foundation for creating work you love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/craftsman-mindset-is-the-foundation-for-creating-work-you-love/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“the journalist philosophy. This name is a nod to the fact that journalists, like Walter Isaacson, are trained to shift into a writing mode…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-journalist-philosophy-this-name-is-a-nod-to-the-fact-that/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Not long into his 2010 TED talk on creativity and leadership, Derek Sivers plays a video clip of a crowd at an outdoor concert.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/not-long-into-his-2010-ted-talk-on-creativity-and-leadership-derek/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Kirk’s path to American Treasures was incremental. He didn’t decide out of nowhere that he wanted to host a television show and then work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/kirk-s-path-to-american-treasures-was-incremental-he-didn-t-decide/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“If you spend too much time focusing on whether or not you’ve found your true calling, the question will be rendered moot when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/if-you-spend-too-much-time-focusing-on-whether-or-not-you-ve-found/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Their plans were circumspect and small-time. They weren’t dreaming of taking over the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/their-plans-were-circumspect-and-small-time-they-weren-t-dreaming-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“This chain method (as some now call it) soon became a hit among writers and fitness enthusiasts—communities that thrive on the ability to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/this-chain-method-as-some-now-call-it-soon-became-a-hit-among-writers/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Explore all 257 Cal Newport quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) ## More Money quotes > [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. A new car.. A huge diamond ring.. But if you have just one true friend who loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy/maybe-you-can-t-buy-a-big-house-a-new-car-a-huge-diamond-ring-but-if/) [Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy/) > [“Don't allow money to become the yardstick by which you measure the worth of the world around you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james-pritchard/don-t-allow-money-to-become-the-yardstick-by-which-you-measure-the/) [Andrew James Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james-pritchard/) > [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/) [Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [I doubt that we Americans can come to terms with our money neuroses without understanding the more florid pathology of the very rich for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/i-doubt-that-we-americans-can-come-to-terms-with-our-money-neuroses/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [The man who works for the gold in the job rather than for the money in the pay envelope, is the fellow who gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-french-johnson/the-man-who-works-for-the-gold-in-the-job-rather-than-for-the-money/) [Joseph French Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-french-johnson/) [Browse all 45,172 Money quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“using money as a “neutral indicator of value”—a way of determining whether or not you have enough career capital to succeed with a pursuit. I called this the law of financial viability, and concluded that it’s a critical tool for navigating your own acquisition of control. 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