The density of lines is very high, and the plot is simple and compact.
The most out-of-the-box line in the show should be this one: "The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much.”
Douglas' logic is self-consistent: The richest one percent of this country owns half our country's wealth, five trillion dollars. One third of that comes from hard work, two thirds comes from inheritance, interest on interest accumulating to widows and idiot sons and what I do, stock and real estate speculation. It's bullshit. You got ninety percent of the American public out there with little or no net worth. I create nothing. I own. We make the rules, pal. The news, war, peace, famine , upheaval, the price per paper clip. We pick that rabbit out of the hat while everybody sits out there wondering how the hell we did it. Now you're not naive enough to think we're living in a democracy, are you buddy ? It's the free market. And you're a part of it.
It's a zero sum game, somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself isn't lost or made, it's simply transferred from one perception to another.
The Wisdom of an Old Man: Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.
The main thing about money, Bud, is that it makes you do things you don't want to do.
What your girlfriend said when she left: When you've had money and lost it, it can be much worse than never having had it at all!
What's worth doing is worth doing for money.
I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing.
The original source of Ma Weiwei's sentence is here: If you need a friend, get a dog.
The most valuable commodity I know of is information.
I look at a hundred deals a day. I pick one.
Ever wonder why fund managers can't beat the S&P 500? 'Cause they're sheep, and sheep get slaughtered.
You'd still be cold calling widows and dentists tryin' to sell 'em 20 shares of some dog shit stock.
You stop sending me information, and you start getting me some.
Dad's insight: What you see is a guy who never measured a man's success by the size of his WALLET!
The rich been doing it to the poor since the beginning of time. The only difference between the Pyramids and the Empire State Building is the Egyptians didn't allow unions. I know what this guy is all about, greed. He don't give a damn about Bluestar or the unions. He's in and out for the buck and he don't take prisoners.
Colleague's Perspective: Kid, you're on a roll. Enjoy it while it lasts, 'cause it never does.
If you're not inside, you're outside.
Anyway, remember to be the person you really want to be, do the right thing, and be a decent person!
PS The part of the beach calling him to wake him up is really burning!
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