--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As I understand it, I am being paid only…" description: "\"As I understand it, I am being paid only for my work in arranging the words; my property is that arrangement. The thoughts in this book, on the contrar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/wendell-berry-236_book_as-i-understand-it-i-am-being-paid-only_876199.jpg" --- # As I understand it, I am being paid only for my work in… ![“As I understand it, I am being paid only for my work in arranging the words; my property is that arrangement. The thoughts in this book, on the contrary, are not mine. They came freely to me, and I give them freely away. I have no "intellectual property," and I think that all claimants to such…” quote by Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/wendell-berry-236_book_as-i-understand-it-i-am-being-paid-only_876199.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/wendell-berry-236_book_as-i-understand-it-i-am-being-paid-only_876199.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/wendell-berry-236_book_as-i-understand-it-i-am-being-paid-only_876199.jpg) > “As I understand it, I am being paid only for my work in arranging the words; my property is that arrangement. The thoughts in this book, on the contrary, are not mine. They came freely to me, and I give them freely away. I have no "intellectual property," and I think that all claimants to such property are theives.” [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that ideas are communal, not owned, and that claiming exclusive rights to thoughts is theft. **In simple terms:** Ideas belong to everyone; owning them is theft. Key Takeaway Share ideas freely and value collective creation. Themes property ideas community ethics creativity Mood reflective critical philosophical Type essay manifesto thought‑provoking When to use this quote - academic publishing - open source projects - collaborative art - education curricula Key Concepts communal knowledge intellectual honesty creative commons Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities come with sharing ideas openly? - How can societies balance creator rights and public good? A Different Perspective Legal systems protect individual ownership, complicating free sharing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-property/) [Property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Corporately contrived art product replaces inspired intellectual property with ineffectual poperty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-bonta/corporately-contrived-art-product-replaces-inspired-intellectual/) [Vanna Bonta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-bonta/) > [I support copyright. 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If a music industry executive claims I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-ian/i-don-t-pretend-to-be-an-expert-on-intellectual-property-law-but-i-do/) [Janis Ian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-ian/) > [You cannot steal somebody's intellectual property. Law and justice protect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bikram-choudhury/you-cannot-steal-somebody-s-intellectual-property-law-and-justice/) [Bikram Choudhury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bikram-choudhury/) > [There is no such thing as intellectual property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/there-is-no-such-thing-as-intellectual-property/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I am not in favour of the takeover of excellent and strategically important British companies by struggling foreign firms whose actions are fuelled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sainsbury-baron-sainsbury-of-turville/i-am-not-in-favour-of-the-takeover-of-excellent-and-strategically/) [David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sainsbury-baron-sainsbury-of-turville/) > [If you talk privately to our tech companies, our pharmaceutical companies, our high-end manufacturing companies, the high end of America, where the good-paying jobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/if-you-talk-privately-to-our-tech-companies-our-pharmaceutical/) [Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/) > [Owning the intellectual property is like owning land: You need to keep investing in it again and again to get a payoff; you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/owning-the-intellectual-property-is-like-owning-land-you-need-to-keep/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [I personally think intellectual property is an oxymoron. 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