The gift finds the man attractive who stands with an empty bowl he does not own.

True citizens are not the audience of their government, nor its consumers; they are its makers.

Unlike the sale of a commodity, the giving of a gift tends to establish a relationship between the parties involved. When gifts circulate within a group, their commerce leaves a series of interconnected relationships in its wake, and a kind of decentralized cohesiveness emerges.

But neither money nor machines can create. They shuttle tokens of energy, but they do not transform. A civilization based on them puts people out of touch with their creative powers.

Irony has only emergency use. Carried over time it is the voice of the trapped who have come to enjoy their cage.

A gift that cannot be given away ceases to be a gift. The spirit of a gift is kept alive by its constant donation.

The gift finds the man attractive who stands with an empty bowl he does not own.