--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now, we're used to thinking of communism…" description: "\"Now, we're used to thinking of communism as being once-upon-a-time-all-things-were-owned-in-common, maybe-someday-this-will-come-again. And people agre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/david-graeber-4667_agree_now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism_593874.png" --- # Now, we're used to thinking of communism as being… ![“Now, we're used to thinking of communism as being once-upon-a-time-all-things-were-owned-in-common, maybe-someday-this-will-come-again. And people agree that there is a sort of epic narrative going on here. I think we should just throw this narrative out, it's irrelevant anyway, and who cares who…” quote by David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/david-graeber-4667_agree_now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism_593874.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/david-graeber-4667_agree_now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism_593874.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/david-graeber-4667_agree_now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism_593874.png) > “Now, we're used to thinking of communism as being once-upon-a-time-all-things-were-owned-in-common, maybe-someday-this-will-come-again. And people agree that there is a sort of epic narrative going on here. I think we should just throw this narrative out, it's irrelevant anyway, and who cares who owns things? I don't. You know, we all own the White House. So what? I still can't go in, right?” [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. The historical narrative of communism is outdated; ownership debates are irrelevant to modern society. **In simple terms:** Communism narratives are obsolete. Key Takeaway Ignore old ownership myths. Themes history ideology modernity Mood skeptical contemplative Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - policy discussion - academic debate - public discourse Key Concepts collectivism capitalism social narratives Questions to Reflect On - Why do we cling to outdated narratives? - What new frameworks replace them? A Different Perspective Dismissal may overlook legitimate critiques of inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [Epic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epic/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Once upon a time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once-upon-a-time/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) ## Related quotes > [A man thinks he owns things, and it is he who is owned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/a-man-thinks-he-owns-things-and-it-is-he-who-is-owned/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [A lot of my father's generation were thinking about communism and had deep liberal and progressive connections. He never admitted whether he was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/a-lot-of-my-father-s-generation-were-thinking-about-communism-and-had/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [“They were beautiful. The most beautiful things she’d ever owned. But if there was one thing she knew from years as a mechanic, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/they-were-beautiful-the-most-beautiful-things-she-d-ever-owned-but-if/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [I do a real analysis of who actually owns things - it’s the British…the Dutch…then it’s the Arabs…then it’s the French…then it’s the Jews…and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-jones/i-do-a-real-analysis-of-who-actually-owns-things-it-s-the-british-the/) [Alex Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-jones/) > [“He speaks with this tone like he owns things, but we know that even the baton stick in his hands is not his, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/he-speaks-with-this-tone-like-he-owns-things-but-we-know-that-even/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) > [I wondered how long it could last. Maybe someday, years from now.If the pain would decrease to the point where I could bear it.I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-wondered-how-long-it-could-last-maybe-someday-years-from-now-if-the/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Maybe someday it will seem quaint that, during a time of plague, some of the parents of the 1990s wanted to deny their children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/maybe-someday-it-will-seem-quaint-that-during-a-time-of-plague-some/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“Yeah, great at the physical level level, but I still need more. Sorry. Maybe someday I'll accidentally fall in love with you after all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-brande/yeah-great-at-the-physical-level-level-but-i-still-need-more-sorry/) [Robin Brande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-brande/) > [I don't think my forte will be political sketches, but I'd like to fine-tune that where maybe someday I could write one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-gardner/i-don-t-think-my-forte-will-be-political-sketches-but-i-d-like-to/) [Heidi Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-gardner/) > [Maybe someday youll turn out as great as I used to think you were¦](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-someday-youll-turn-out-as-great-as-i-used-to-think-you-were/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do triage on everything that comes through the door, and if it's not something we need (now, for real-not maybe someday) or something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-herman/i-do-triage-on-everything-that-comes-through-the-door-and-if-it-s-not/) Michelle Herman > [Each practitioner thinks there's one magic way to get a machine to be smart, and so they're all wasting their time in a sense.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-minsky/each-practitioner-thinks-there-s-one-magic-way-to-get-a-machine-to-be/) [Marvin Minsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-minsky/) > [“Someday I'll marry you, Miracle. And maybe someday after that, I'll deserve you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/someday-i-ll-marry-you-miracle-and-maybe-someday-after-that-i-ll/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [“I feel like my maybe someday just became my right now .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/i-feel-like-my-maybe-someday-just-became-my-right-now/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“I tilt my head and look at him. He's watching me, but I can't tell what his face is trying to convey. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/i-tilt-my-head-and-look-at-him-he-s-watching-me-but-i-can-t-tell-what/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) ## 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 Agree quotes > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [“I tend to agree with that little devil more and more these days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-tend-to-agree-with-that-little-devil-more-and-more-these-days/) [Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/) > [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-blix/but-i-would-say-if-the-security-council-is-only-relevant-if-it-agrees/) [Hans Blix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-blix/) > [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. It's one of the presumable principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/we-re-never-all-going-to-agree-with-each-other-we-have-to-learn-to/) [Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/) > [A contract is an ask game, and if it asks for an hour, and I submit to an hour, then it's an hour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/a-contract-is-an-ask-game-and-if-it-asks-for-an-hour-and-i-submit-to/) [Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/) Browse all 3,079 Agree quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now, we're used to thinking of communism as being once-upon-a-time-all-things-were-owned-in-common, maybe-someday-this-will-come-again. And people agree that there is a sort of epic narrative going on here. I think we should just throw this narrative out, it's irrelevant anyway, and who cares who owns things? I don't. You know, we all own the White House. So what? I still can't go in, right?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Graeber" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism-as-being-once-upon-a-time-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agree" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism-as-being-once-upon-a-time-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/david-graeber-4667_agree_now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism_593874.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/david-graeber-4667_agree_now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism_593874.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94c/david-graeber-4667_agree_now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism_593874.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Now, we're used to thinking of communism as being once-upon-a-time-all-things-were-owned-in-common…” — 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": "Now, we're used to thinking of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism-as-being-once-upon-a-time-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/now-we-re-used-to-thinking-of-communism-as-being-once-upon-a-time-all/#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 } } ] } ```