--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You said if X has something valuable and…" description: "\"“You said if X has something valuable and Y comes along and takes it away from him, and there is absolutely no way in the world X can ever get it back,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd8/john-d-macdonald-8277_make-deal_you-said-if-x-has-something-valuable-and_3059194.jpg" --- # You said if X has something valuable and Y comes along and… ![“You said if X has something valuable and Y comes along and takes it away from him, and there is absolutely no way in the world X can ever get it back, then you come along and make a deal with X to get it back, and keep half. Then you just … live on that until it starts to run out. Is that the way…” quote by John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd8/john-d-macdonald-8277_make-deal_you-said-if-x-has-something-valuable-and_3059194.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd8/john-d-macdonald-8277_make-deal_you-said-if-x-has-something-valuable-and_3059194.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd8/john-d-macdonald-8277_make-deal_you-said-if-x-has-something-valuable-and_3059194.jpg) > ““You said if X has something valuable and Y comes along and takes it away from him, and there is absolutely no way in the world X can ever get it back, then you come along and make a deal with X to get it back, and keep half. Then you just … live on that until it starts to run out. Is that the way it is, really?”” [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Exploiting others’ loss for personal gain is short‑sighted and unsustainable, leading to eventual depletion. **In simple terms:** Don’t profit from others’ misfortune. Key Takeaway Seek ethical solutions. Themes ethics economics fairness Mood critical ethical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - business - personal finance - social policy - environmental stewardship Key Concepts resource allocation moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives exist to mutual benefit? - How can fairness be ensured? A Different Perspective Short‑term gains may cause long‑term loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I always have said that the most valuable thing I have isn't money; it's my time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-paul/i-always-have-said-that-the-most-valuable-thing-i-have-isn-t-money-it/) [Chris Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-paul/) > [Don't have no deal and no half a mill, just on my game start shit with a mass appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-miller/don-t-have-no-deal-and-no-half-a-mill-just-on-my-game-start-shit-with/) [Mac Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-miller/) > [ They \[Goverment\] take from the woman who comes in and takes the wastebaskets out. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/they-goverment-take-from-the-woman-who-comes-in-and-takes-the/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Isn't it funny how some people won't take what is right in front of them for the taking until someone else comes along and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/isn-t-it-funny-how-some-people-won-t-take-what-is-right-in-front-of/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) > [“Death comes and takes you away and there is nothing you can do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/death-comes-and-takes-you-away-and-there-is-nothing-you-can-do/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [“Make you a deal, she said. I'll watch my ass, you watch the crowd”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-castle-heat-wave/make-you-a-deal-she-said-i-ll-watch-my-ass-you-watch-the-crowd/) Richard Castle Heat Wave > [Relationships, the ones that last anyway, are really an extended game of Let's Make A Deal .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-cook/relationships-the-ones-that-last-anyway-are-really-an-extended-game/) [Claire Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-cook/) > [“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll toast to us becoming great friends if you promise to tell me when you want something more with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-lonsdale/i-ll-make-you-a-deal-i-ll-toast-to-us-becoming-great-friends-if-you/) [Kerry Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-lonsdale/) > [You make a deal. You figure out how much sin you can live with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/you-make-a-deal-you-figure-out-how-much-sin-you-can-live-with/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“Well, then, let's make a deal. I'll be your slave girl. 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Please not yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/please-not-yet-those-are-the-three-eternal-words-please-not-yet/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [...it isn't foolish or wicked to enjoy. Wickedness is hurting people on purpose. I love what you are and who you are and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/it-isn-t-foolish-or-wicked-to-enjoy-wickedness-is-hurting-people-on/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [“Ask for two, and they give you the third free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/ask-for-two-and-they-give-you-the-third-free/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [“It was to have been a quiet evening at home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/it-was-to-have-been-a-quiet-evening-at-home/) [John D. 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MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [ The dividing line \[between friends and acquaintances\] is communication, I think. A friend is someone to whom you can say any jackass thing that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/the-dividing-line-between-friends-and-acquaintances-is-communication/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [I want story, wit, music, wryness, color, and a sense of reality in what I read, and I try to get it in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/i-want-story-wit-music-wryness-color-and-a-sense-of-reality-in-what-i/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [ \[To\] me organized religion, the formalities and routines, \[is\] like being marched in formation to look at a sunset. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/to-me-organized-religion-the-formalities-and-routines-is-like-being/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [Old friend, there are people—young and old—that I like, and people that I do not like. The former are always in short supply. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/old-friend-there-are-people-young-and-old-that-i-like-and-people-that/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [Way over half the murders committed in this country are by close friends or relatives of the deceased. A gun makes a loud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/way-over-half-the-murders-committed-in-this-country-are-by-close/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [“Bugs would eat the wax. Chaw the old canvas. And one day there will be a mutation, and we will have new ones that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/bugs-would-eat-the-wax-chaw-the-old-canvas-and-one-day-there-will-be/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [“...her dark eyes were like twin entrances to two deep caves. Nothing lived in those caves. Maybe something had, once upon a time. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/her-dark-eyes-were-like-twin-entrances-to-two-deep-caves-nothing/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [“She went inside and watched him walk back toward sixteen,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/she-went-inside-and-watched-him-walk-back-toward-sixteen/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) [Explore all 80 John D. MacDonald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) ## More Make Deal quotes > [“Let's make a deal, if you don't blame me for your failures I won't take credit for your successes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donavan-nelson-butler-master-sergeant-us-army/let-s-make-a-deal-if-you-don-t-blame-me-for-your-failures-i-won-t/) [Donavan Nelson Butler, Master Sergeant US Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donavan-nelson-butler-master-sergeant-us-army/) > [I make a deal with the audience every time I direct a movie. The deal always is this: I'm showing you this world in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-oz/i-make-a-deal-with-the-audience-every-time-i-direct-a-movie-the-deal/) [Frank Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-oz/) > [I see negotiations as an honest attempt to reach a deal that's great for everyone at the table. But sometimes, for whatever reason, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-o-leary/i-see-negotiations-as-an-honest-attempt-to-reach-a-deal-that-s-great/) [Kevin O'Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-o-leary/) > [And If only I could, I'd make a deal with God...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/and-if-only-i-could-i-d-make-a-deal-with-god/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Let's make a deal: You figure out what the labyrinth is and how to get out of it, and i'll get you laid. -Alaska…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/let-s-make-a-deal-you-figure-out-what-the-labyrinth-is-and-how-to-get/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Well, then, let's make a deal. I'll be your slave girl. You can dress me your way, and I'll do anything you say, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-connor/well-then-let-s-make-a-deal-i-ll-be-your-slave-girl-you-can-dress-me/) [Eden Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-connor/) > [You make a deal. You figure out how much sin you can live with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/you-make-a-deal-you-figure-out-how-much-sin-you-can-live-with/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll toast to us becoming great friends if you promise to tell me when you want something more with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-lonsdale/i-ll-make-you-a-deal-i-ll-toast-to-us-becoming-great-friends-if-you/) [Kerry Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-lonsdale/) > [Relationships, the ones that last anyway, are really an extended game of Let's Make A Deal .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-cook/relationships-the-ones-that-last-anyway-are-really-an-extended-game/) [Claire Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-cook/) > [“Make you a deal, she said. I'll watch my ass, you watch the crowd”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-castle-heat-wave/make-you-a-deal-she-said-i-ll-watch-my-ass-you-watch-the-crowd/) Richard Castle Heat Wave > [If you removed all of the homosexuals and homosexual influence from what is generally regarded as American culture, you would pretty much be left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/if-you-removed-all-of-the-homosexuals-and-homosexual-influence-from/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [If you make a deal with a fool, don't be surprised when they act foolishly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-archer/if-you-make-a-deal-with-a-fool-don-t-be-surprised-when-they-act/) [Jeffrey Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-archer/) > [It would be easier to be tough on Russian than make a deal. I don't know if we'll make a deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/it-would-be-easier-to-be-tough-on-russian-than-make-a-deal-i-don-t/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [If you only sign the players of one FIFA agent, sometimes you can make the deal, sometimes you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-maldini/if-you-only-sign-the-players-of-one-fifa-agent-sometimes-you-can-make/) [Paolo Maldini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-maldini/) > [“Don't make a deal with the devil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/don-t-make-a-deal-with-the-devil/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) Browse all 24 Make Deal quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You said if X has something valuable and Y comes along and takes it away from him, and there is absolutely no way in the world X can ever get it back, then you come along and make a deal with X to get it back, and keep half. 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