Reading Money: Whence it came, Where it went  

I am reading the book on the history of money. It is by John K. Galbraith, Jamie’s father. He is a great storyteller. The following are some quotes and my comments. 

The study of money, above all other fields in economics, is one in which complexity is used to disguise truth or to evade truth, not to reveal it.”  P.5

Comment: In any research, complexity is used to disguise or evade truth, not to reveal it.

Then, as since, it was uncertain what made a man a monetary expert. P. 36

Comment: It is always uncertain what makes a man an expert. Don’t be intimidated by any expert.

By far the most memorable participant in this debate was a London stockbroker of Jewish provenance who, unknown to himself or anyone else, was, by this discussion, launching one of the most famous careers in economic thought. Some would later count him as the greatest of all economists. This was David Ricardo.   P. 37

Comment: When we have ideas about something, we should join the discussion and write them down, we should develop them into a concrete product. It is through discussion that we clarify our thinking. It is through producing a poem, a video, an app that we develop our skills. It is by solving math problems that we become brilliant at thinking. If we let ourselves be suppressed, our seeds of ideas will not grow into great trees.