#commodity

In our modern world, this elemental quality of storytelling is denied. We live today in a world in which everything has its place and function and nothing is left out of place. Storytelling is thus at a discount and like everything else in a world ruled by the laws of exchange value, literature is required to submit itself to the requirements of the market and must learn, like any other commodity, to adapt and serve needs that lie outside of itself and its concrete value. It is forced to stand not for itself but for an ideological cause of one sort or another, whether it be political, social or literary. It cannot exist for itself: like everything else it has to be justified. And for this very reason the power of storytelling is automatically devalued. Literature is reduced to the status of complimentary utilitarian functions: as a pastime to provide distraction and entertainment, or as a heightened activity that would claim to explore 'great truths' about the human condition. ↗

— Michael Richardson

#commodity #entertainment #literature #stories #surrealism

A century ago, petroleum - what we call oil - was just an obscure commodity; today it is almost as vital to human existence as water. ↗

— James Buchan

#almost #call #century #commodity #existence

If you're going to play hockey now, you have to be able to play. If you have the ability to fight and play, you're an unbelievable commodity. But if you can only fight, there might be six of those guys left in the league, and I can guarantee they're going fast. ↗

— Brett Hull

#able #commodity #fast #fight #going

You don't have to find out what someone's mechanical abilities are. All those factors are already a known commodity. I've seen teams win championships and have their entire team quit the next day because they weren't happy. ↗

— Larry Dixon

#because #championships #commodity #day #entire

Travel, which was once either a necessity or an adventure, has become very largely a commodity, and from all sides we are persuaded into thinking that it is a social requirement, too. ↗

— Jan Morris

#adventure #become #commodity #either #into

I sometimes lie, especially about personal things, because what does it matter? I am a kind of minute commodity, my name is no longer my own. ↗

— River Phoenix

#am #because #commodity #does #especially

If a commodity were in no way useful, - in other words, if it could in no way contribute to our gratification, - it would be destitute of exchangeable value, however scarce it might be, or whatever quantity of labour might be necessary to procure it. ↗

— David Ricardo

#contribute #could #destitute #exchangeable #exchangeable value

If the quantity of labour realized in commodities, regulate their exchangeable value, every increase of the quantity of labour must augment the value of that commodity on which it is exercised, as every diminution must lower it. ↗

— David Ricardo

#commodities #commodity #diminution #every #exchangeable

In stating the principles which regulate exchangeable value and price, we should carefully distinguish between those variations which belong to the commodity itself, and those which are occasioned by a variation in the medium in which value is estimated, or price expressed. ↗

— David Ricardo

#between #carefully #commodity #distinguish #estimated

If I'm a commodity, it wouldn't be a wise idea to buy stock in me - although, in the long run, maybe I'm a slow growth investment. ↗

— Tim Robbins

#buy #commodity #growth #i #idea