---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It affects every aspect of our lives, is…"
description: "\"It affects every aspect of our lives, is often said to be the root of all evil, and the analysis of the world that it makes possible - what we call 'th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/david-graeber-4667_analysis_it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is_2696144.png"
---

#  It affects every aspect of our lives, is often said to be…

![“It affects every aspect of our lives, is often said to be the root of all evil, and the analysis of the world that it makes possible - what we call 'the economy' - is so important to us that economists have become the high priests of our society. Yet, oddly, there is absolutely no consensus among…” quote by David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/david-graeber-4667_analysis_it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is_2696144.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/david-graeber-4667_analysis_it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is_2696144.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/david-graeber-4667_analysis_it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is_2696144.png)

> “It affects every aspect of our lives, is often said to be the root of all evil, and the analysis of the world that it makes possible - what we call 'the economy' - is so important to us that economists have become the high priests of our society. Yet, oddly, there is absolutely no consensus among economists about what money really is.”

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Money is a social construct lacking consensus, yet it dominates society and shapes economies.

**In simple terms:** Money’s definition is unclear but powerful.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about money.

Themes

economics philosophy society power

Mood

critical thought‑provoking

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- financial education
- public debate
- academic research

Key Concepts

social construct consensus economic influence

Questions to Reflect On

- What defines money beyond its function?
- How does this ambiguity affect policy?

A Different Perspective

Economic theories often ignore cultural contexts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Analysis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analysis/) [Consensus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consensus/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economist/) [Economists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Our society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-society/) [Priests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priests/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Our popular economics writers, however, are not in the business of giving their readers a ringside seat on the research action; with no exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/our-popular-economics-writers-however-are-not-in-the-business-of/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [The economy is most important. It is off track.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-brazile/the-economy-is-most-important-it-is-off-track/)

[Donna Brazile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-brazile/)

> [To ensure continuing prosperity in the global economy, nothing is more important than the development and application of knowledge and skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/to-ensure-continuing-prosperity-in-the-global-economy-nothing-is-more/)

[Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/)

> [I place economy among the first and most important virtues and public debt as the greatest dangers to be feared. To preserve our independence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-place-economy-among-the-first-and-most-important-virtues-and-public-2/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I believe most people think the economy is very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/i-believe-most-people-think-the-economy-is-very-important/)

[Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/)

> [I, however, place economy among the first and most important republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-however-place-economy-among-the-first-and-most-important-republican/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I, place economy among the first &amp; most important republican virtues, &amp; public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-place-economy-among-the-first-most-important-republican-virtues/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [In todays economy, the most important resource is no longer labor, capital or land; it is knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/in-todays-economy-the-most-important-resource-is-no-longer-labor/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [I place economy among the first and most important virtues and public debt as the greatest dangers to be feared... We must not let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-place-economy-among-the-first-and-most-important-virtues-and-public/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [By fostering the economic health and vitality of local communities throughout the country, community banks play a central role in our national economy. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/by-fostering-the-economic-health-and-vitality-of-local-communities/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [The second is that the role of China trade in Japanese economy, important as it is, has often been exaggerated, as proven by our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-yoshida/the-second-is-that-the-role-of-china-trade-in-japanese-economy/)

[Shigeru Yoshida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-yoshida/)

> [My attempt is to try to broaden the base of the Republican Party, to try to bring in people that can agree and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/my-attempt-is-to-try-to-broaden-the-base-of-the-republican-party-to/)

[Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/)

> [Consensus isn't just about agreement. It's about changing things around: You get a proposal, you work something out, people foresee problems, you do creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/consensus-isn-t-just-about-agreement-it-s-about-changing-things/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/)

[Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/)

## More by David Graeber

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/people-don-t-have-an-ongoing-relation-unless-it-s-a-form-of-debt/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/i-would-like-then-to-end-by-putting-in-a-good-word-for-the-non/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/but-if-smith-was-right-and-gold-and-silver-became-money-through-the/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [“A revolution on a world scale will take a very long time. But it is also possible to recognize that it is already starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/a-revolution-on-a-world-scale-will-take-a-very-long-time-but-it-is/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [“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.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/money-has-no-essence-it-s-not-really-anything-therefore-its-nature/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/we-don-t-live-in-a-capitalist-totality-capitalism-couldn-t-survive-as/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [“About the only thing we can imagine is catastrophe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/about-the-only-thing-we-can-imagine-is-catastrophe/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [The working poor are the people suffering out subprime mortgages and fatal loans and more and more of our money - you know, capitalism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/the-working-poor-are-the-people-suffering-out-subprime-mortgages-and/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [“Solitary pleasures will always exist, but for most human beings, the most pleasurable activities almost always involve sharing something: music, food, liquor, drugs, gossip,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/solitary-pleasures-will-always-exist-but-for-most-human-beings-the/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [“IMF is really designed to protect creditors not debtors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/imf-is-really-designed-to-protect-creditors-not-debtors/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [“The criminalization of debt, then, was the criminalization of the very basis of human society. It cannot be overemphasized that in a small community,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/the-criminalization-of-debt-then-was-the-criminalization-of-the-very/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/if-you-imagine-that-everything-is-an-exchange-then-we-re-supposed-to/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [“As Pierre Bourdieu was later to point out in describing a similar economy of trust in contemporary Algeria: it’s quite possible to turn honor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/as-pierre-bourdieu-was-later-to-point-out-in-describing-a-similar/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [ \[A\] great embarrassing fact… haunts all attempts to represent the market as the highest form of human freedom: that historically, impersonal, commercial markets originate… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/a-great-embarrassing-fact-haunts-all-attempts-to-represent-the-market/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [“As the events of 2011 reveal, the age of revolutions is by no means over. The human imagination stubbornly refuses to die. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/as-the-events-of-2011-reveal-the-age-of-revolutions-is-by-no-means/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

[Explore all 106 David Graeber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

## More Analysis quotes

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/)

Frank H. T. Rhodes

> [International friendly games are not worth the lives of the silk worms who perish to make the pennants. They do not even have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-baker/international-friendly-games-are-not-worth-the-lives-of-the-silk/)

[Danny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-baker/)

> [Demographically, I'm a hippie from San Francisco and I'm not culturally inclined to be sympathetic to states' rights. My cultural heritage is FDR and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/demographically-i-m-a-hippie-from-san-francisco-and-i-m-not/)

[Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/)

> [Democracy is not being well served as we're accustomed to. There is less information, there's less investigation, there's less analysis, there's less accountability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-greenspon/democracy-is-not-being-well-served-as-we-re-accustomed-to-there-is/)

Edward Greenspon

> [As long as the human race is able to concern itself with more than mere survival, soccer will have its place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-concern-itself-with-more-than/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [The capitalistic social order, therefore, is an economic democracy in the strictest sense of the word. In the last analysis, all decisions are dependent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-capitalistic-social-order-therefore-is-an-economic-democracy-in/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [“You will do one of two things as soon as you’ve exhausted what you can determine mathematically in the case: (1) Refine your hypothesis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/you-will-do-one-of-two-things-as-soon-as-you-ve-exhausted-what-you/)

[Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/)

> [Atheism Explained is a gem. It is clear, informative, well-argued, provocative, often witty, and unfailingly interesting. David Ramsay Steele ranges over so many issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-shearmur/atheism-explained-is-a-gem-it-is-clear-informative-well-argued/)

Jeremy Shearmur

> [Class is entirely intangible, and the way it affects things isn't subject to scientific analysis, and it's not supposed to be real but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/class-is-entirely-intangible-and-the-way-it-affects-things-isn-t/)

[Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/)

> [I've always made my decisions based on two factors: intellectual analysis and my gut. And when they meet, that's a go from me. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ovitz/i-ve-always-made-my-decisions-based-on-two-factors-intellectual/)

[Michael Ovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ovitz/)

> [Analysis of opponents is something I like doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/analysis-of-opponents-is-something-i-like-doing/)

[Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/)

> [What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/what-matters-supremely-therefore-is-not-in-the-last-analysis-the-fact/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

> [We are well aware that he spent many hours recently tape recording various messages... we need to do a little more analysis of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-hoon/we-are-well-aware-that-he-spent-many-hours-recently-tape-recording/)

[Geoff Hoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-hoon/)

[Browse all 1,547 Analysis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analysis/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It affects every aspect of our lives, is often said to be the root of all evil, and the analysis of the world that it makes possible - what we call 'the economy' - is so important to us that economists have become the high priests of our society. Yet, oddly, there is absolutely no consensus among economists about what money really is.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Graeber"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is-often-said-to-be-the-root-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Analysis"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is-often-said-to-be-the-root-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/david-graeber-4667_analysis_it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is_2696144.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/david-graeber-4667_analysis_it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is_2696144.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/david-graeber-4667_analysis_it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is_2696144.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It affects every aspect of our lives, is often said to be the root of all evil, and the analysis of the…” — David Graeber",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "David Graeber",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It affects every aspect of our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is-often-said-to-be-the-root-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/it-affects-every-aspect-of-our-lives-is-often-said-to-be-the-root-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
