#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