#relative value
“Good heavens, potatoesare worth more than gold!”
“Surely not!”
“If you were shipwrecked on a desert island, what would you prefer, a bag of potatoes or a bag of gold?”
“Yes, but a desert island isn’t Ankh-Morpork!”
“And that proves gold is only valuable because we agree it is, right? It’s just a dream. But a potato is always worth a potato, anywhere. Add a knob of butter and a pinch of salt and you’ve got a meal, anywhere.Bury gold in the ground and you’ll be worrying about thieves forever. Bury a potato and in due season you could be looking at a dividend of a thousand percent.”
Terry Pratchett, Making Money
“Well, at least we can agree on Truth, Freedom, and Justice, yes?”
There was a chorus of nods. Everyone wanted those. They didn’t cost anything.
Terry Pratchett, Night Watch