--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before I went to prison, there were not…" description: "\"Before I went to prison, there were not really many blockchain products. It was only bitcoin.\" — Charlie Shrem" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/charlie-shrem-37580_bitcoin_before-i-went-to-prison-there-were-not-r_2458441.jpg" --- # Before I went to prison, there were not really many… ![“Before I went to prison, there were not really many blockchain products. It was only bitcoin.” quote by Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/charlie-shrem-37580_bitcoin_before-i-went-to-prison-there-were-not-r_2458441.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/charlie-shrem-37580_bitcoin_before-i-went-to-prison-there-were-not-r_2458441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/charlie-shrem-37580_bitcoin_before-i-went-to-prison-there-were-not-r_2458441.jpg) > “Before I went to prison, there were not really many blockchain products. It was only bitcoin.” [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early blockchain was limited to Bitcoin, with few applications beyond currency, illustrating slow ecosystem development. **In simple terms:** Initially, blockchain was just Bitcoin. Key Takeaway Explore diverse blockchain uses. Themes technology finance innovation Mood analytical hopeful Type historical forward‑looking When to use this quote - startup - investment - product development Key Concepts decentralization network effects Questions to Reflect On - What other uses could have emerged sooner? - How can ecosystems diversify faster? A Different Perspective Focusing only on Bitcoin delayed broader adoption. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bitcoin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitcoin/) [Blockchain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blockchain/) [Currency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/currency/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) ## Related quotes > [I had been exposed to bitcoin early. I thought the consumer application of it felt, to me, further away. I thought there would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-garlinghouse/i-had-been-exposed-to-bitcoin-early-i-thought-the-consumer/) [Brad Garlinghouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-garlinghouse/) > [Pretty uniformly, people want the benefits of bitcoin and the blockchain - near-instant transfers, globally available on any Internet-connected device, highly secure, and nearly-free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-allaire/pretty-uniformly-people-want-the-benefits-of-bitcoin-and-the/) [Jeremy Allaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-allaire/) > [Polychain is investing in blockchain assets. We do not invest in private companies or hold shares in private companies. We invest purely in tokens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-carlson-wee/polychain-is-investing-in-blockchain-assets-we-do-not-invest-in/) [Olaf Carlson-Wee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-carlson-wee/) > [“Go and learn about blockchain instead of going to college. You'll gain a whole lot of valuable information that would change your life before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olawale-daniel/go-and-learn-about-blockchain-instead-of-going-to-college-you-ll-gain/) [Olawale daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olawale-daniel/) > [“The divine line "Bitcoin/Cryptocurrency is for criminals" is a cunning defensive strategy created by so called traditional financial services sector.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohith-agadi/the-divine-line-bitcoin-cryptocurrency-is-for-criminals-is-a-cunning/) [Mohith Agadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohith-agadi/) > [Bitcoin was created with security in mind. The Blockchain is Bitcoin's public ledger that records every transaction in the Bitcoin economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perianne-boring/bitcoin-was-created-with-security-in-mind-the-blockchain-is-bitcoin-s/) [Perianne Boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perianne-boring/) > [Bitcoin is just one example of something that uses a blockchain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-swan/bitcoin-is-just-one-example-of-something-that-uses-a-blockchain/) [Melanie Swan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-swan/) > [“I like the concept of 'not spending more money to spend money'. Let's scale it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohith-agadi/i-like-the-concept-of-not-spending-more-money-to-spend-money-let-s/) [Mohith Agadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohith-agadi/) > [“There is nothing more interesting than the internet right now and the same would be said of the blockchain-powered solutions like Bitcoin and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olawale-daniel/there-is-nothing-more-interesting-than-the-internet-right-now-and-the/) [Olawale Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olawale-daniel/) > [I think the whole narrative of blockchain without bitcoin will amount to very little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ehrsam/i-think-the-whole-narrative-of-blockchain-without-bitcoin-will-amount/) [Fred Ehrsam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ehrsam/) > [There will be many types of assets codified into the blockchain, and they are all not just going to be on the bitcoin blockchain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-carlson-wee/there-will-be-many-types-of-assets-codified-into-the-blockchain-and/) [Olaf Carlson-Wee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-carlson-wee/) > [The main event isn't bitcoin. It's using the blockchain to disrupt other industries and Wall Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-m-byrne/the-main-event-isn-t-bitcoin-it-s-using-the-blockchain-to-disrupt/) [Patrick M. Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-m-byrne/) > [“Privacy is now the evidence, not the obstacle. Today, proof no longer requires exposure. Privacy has always been here, it's just that it became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olawale-daniel/privacy-is-now-the-evidence-not-the-obstacle-today-proof-no-longer/) [Olawale Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olawale-daniel/) > [“In terms of adoption, Bitcoin has roughly the same users as the Internet had in 1997. But Bitcoin is growing faster. The next four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olawale-daniel/in-terms-of-adoption-bitcoin-has-roughly-the-same-users-as-the/) [Olawale Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olawale-daniel/) > [“In cryptocurrency investment, long term thinkers are less stressed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olawale-daniel/in-cryptocurrency-investment-long-term-thinkers-are-less-stressed/) [Olawale Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olawale-daniel/) ## More by Charlie Shrem > [A lot of people say that I took the first shot for Bitcoin. The first person to walk through the door always gets shot,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/a-lot-of-people-say-that-i-took-the-first-shot-for-bitcoin-the-first/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) > [My brain is here for the picking, and a lot of people are calling me to see what I think about their business, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/my-brain-is-here-for-the-picking-and-a-lot-of-people-are-calling-me/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) > [A lot of people have, like, 95 percent of their wealth in bitcoin. Great for them, but I got to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/a-lot-of-people-have-like-95-percent-of-their-wealth-in-bitcoin-great/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) > [I'm investing. I'm taking a lot of bitcoin, selling it as the price goes up, and putting it into real estate. Because then if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/i-m-investing-i-m-taking-a-lot-of-bitcoin-selling-it-as-the-price/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) > [Bitcoin is my baby; it's my whole world and my whole life. It's what I was put on this earth to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/bitcoin-is-my-baby-it-s-my-whole-world-and-my-whole-life-it-s-what-i/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) > [In prison, you have to forget about the world on the outside. You have no Internet, no communications, and you're cut off from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/in-prison-you-have-to-forget-about-the-world-on-the-outside-you-have/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) > [I was, like, 22 years old. I had half a million dollars sitting in the bank. I had no expenses. Life was great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/i-was-like-22-years-old-i-had-half-a-million-dollars-sitting-in-the/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) > [My word is gold, And I make sure everyone gets paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/my-word-is-gold-and-i-make-sure-everyone-gets-paid/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) > [I spend thousands of dollars on lawyers every day just to make sure that I'm not gonna go to jail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/i-spend-thousands-of-dollars-on-lawyers-every-day-just-to-make-sure/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) > [Good-quality protein is very hard to come by in prison. Tuna is good, but tuna doesn't have texture. Mackerel is meaty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/good-quality-protein-is-very-hard-to-come-by-in-prison-tuna-is-good/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) > [The hardest obstacles for Bitcoin companies are banking and regulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-shrem/the-hardest-obstacles-for-bitcoin-companies-are-banking-and-regulation/) [Charlie Shrem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) [Explore all 12 Charlie Shrem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-shrem/) ## More Bitcoin quotes > [The bitcoin network is not a payments network and it is not a scaling network.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-bankman-fried/the-bitcoin-network-is-not-a-payments-network-and-it-is-not-a-scaling/) [Sam Bankman-Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-bankman-fried/) > [I had been exposed to bitcoin early. I thought the consumer application of it felt, to me, further away. I thought there would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-garlinghouse/i-had-been-exposed-to-bitcoin-early-i-thought-the-consumer/) [Brad Garlinghouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-garlinghouse/) > [In 2008, Bitcoin was mysteriously introduced to the world in an obscure, technical paper written under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. By late 2013, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hanke/in-2008-bitcoin-was-mysteriously-introduced-to-the-world-in-an/) [Steve Hanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hanke/) > [We need to come up with use cases for this technology that drive clear benefits for individuals and institutions - these are our customers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-johnson/we-need-to-come-up-with-use-cases-for-this-technology-that-drive/) [Abigail Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-johnson/) > [Sir Richard Branson started out as a small business owner and now owns a conglomerate that will give you a ride to the moon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perianne-boring/sir-richard-branson-started-out-as-a-small-business-owner-and-now/) [Perianne Boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perianne-boring/) > [Exchanging bitcoin on behalf of ransomware victims should not be construed as criminal activity by the exchanger, not as a matter of law nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perianne-boring/exchanging-bitcoin-on-behalf-of-ransomware-victims-should-not-be/) [Perianne Boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perianne-boring/) > [Until part of your paycheck is regularly paid in Bitcoin, I'm not sure how it would really go mainstream. I can imagine places in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-andresen/until-part-of-your-paycheck-is-regularly-paid-in-bitcoin-i-m-not-sure/) [Gavin Andresen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-andresen/) > [Calling bitcoin volatile - it's a non-statement. Unregulated assets with unclear regulatory landscapes are always going to be volatile. That's what unregulated assets do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-winklevoss/calling-bitcoin-volatile-it-s-a-non-statement-unregulated-assets-with/) [Tyler Winklevoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-winklevoss/) > [We see bitcoin as potentially the greatest social network of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-winklevoss/we-see-bitcoin-as-potentially-the-greatest-social-network-of-all/) [Tyler Winklevoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-winklevoss/) > [As the platform and protocol become more ingrained in society, get built into products and services, and basically become more of the mesh of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-silbert/as-the-platform-and-protocol-become-more-ingrained-in-society-get/) [Barry Silbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-silbert/) > [Bitcoin is not “unregulated”. It is regulated by algorithm instead of being regulated by government bureaucracies. Un-corrupted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-antonopoulos/bitcoin-is-not-unregulated-it-is-regulated-by-algorithm-instead-of/) [Andreas Antonopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-antonopoulos/) > [The rudest possible gift is a gift card. It means you think the person is stupid and has no interests. The only good gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/the-rudest-possible-gift-is-a-gift-card-it-means-you-think-the-person/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [If the U.S. government tries to restrict or clamp down, that just means there will be many more bitcoin businesses in Hong Kong and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ver/if-the-u-s-government-tries-to-restrict-or-clamp-down-that-just-means/) [Roger Ver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ver/) > [What bitcoin does better than the current financial system is it's a better stored value globally. There are a lot of countries that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-draper/what-bitcoin-does-better-than-the-current-financial-system-is-it-s-a/) [Adam Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-draper/) > [You really want some natural way for people to get Bitcoins, as part of their paycheck or some other activity so they can turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-andresen/you-really-want-some-natural-way-for-people-to-get-bitcoins-as-part/) [Gavin Andresen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-andresen/) [Browse all 364 Bitcoin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitcoin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before I went to prison, there were not really many blockchain products. 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