Capital (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠never spent, only advanced: it leaves its owner in order to come home enriched, and it stays capital only by setting out again and again.

Capital (n.) taken ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as the total appears as the share capital of all the individual capitalists together, a joint-stock company in which everyone knows what he put in but not what he will get out.

Capital (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not a property of things but a function they take on or lose: a house is fixed capital while it is a workshop and no capital at all while it is a home.

Capital (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠value that has bred value — money that relates to part of itself as its own offspring, its cause and its fruit.

Wage (n.) paid ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠only at the end of the week let the same capital exist twice, still money in the capitalist's hands and already labour-power active in the production process.

Wage (n.) flowing ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠back to the capitalist explain why he does not become poorer, but in no way how he becomes richer.

Wage (n.) are ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a draft on future labour: with one part of his past labour the capitalist pays the worker his own future labour — and the 'stock' supposed to fund wages need not even exist yet.

Wage (n.) are ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a disguised form: they make the price of a day's labour-power pass for the price of the labour it performs, so that six hours' value is expressed as the value of twelve hours' work.

Money (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠kept only by letting it go: its owner remains its owner only insofar as the very act of parting with it makes it flow back to him.

Money (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a form that capital as commodity is anxious to put on, and capital as money is equally anxious to shed the moment it has pupated — for as long as it stays money, it idles.

Money (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠buy coal still in the mine and cotton not yet sown: as the result of a sale it is past labour, as the means of a purchase it is a claim on labour still to come.

Money (n.) spent ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠on consumption has gone the way of all flesh; it comes back to the capitalist only if he fishes it out again by selling commodities.

Labor power (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the worker's capacity, not his capital: if being perpetually forced to sell yourself made you a capitalist, the slave would be one too.

Labor power (n.) must ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be maintained by consumption so that it reappears as its owners' only article of trade, which they must sell if they want to live — and so the wage relation reproduces itself.

Labor power (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠assumed paid at its real value, and the great majority of the bourgeois critics complain that this does the capitalist an injustice, since in most cases he does not pay it.

Labor power (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠always present in the factory, like the raw cotton — but only through a constant repetition of its purchase, and often with a change of persons.

Money capital (n.) does ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠its work not because it is capital but because it is money; what turns a function of money into a function of capital is a class relation, not the nature of money.

Money capital (n.) shows, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in its circuit, capital's most one-sided and therefore most telling face: buying in order to sell dearer, the aim leaping to the eye.

Money capital (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠wait out an obstacle longer than commodity capital: money does not stop being money while it waits, but a commodity held too long stops being even a use-value.

Money capital (n.) lying ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠latent, whether gold, tokens or paper claims, is no more than extra legal titles to the future production of society, held in reserve by capitalists.

Surplus value (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the only real secret, and it is the one thing capitalists and their economists take for granted: a sum would not be capital if it did not enrich itself.

Surplus value (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠only realized in the sale, so everyday thinking concludes it is born in the sale.

Surplus value (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠known long before Marx; what he added was to see a problem where everyone else had seen a solution.

Surplus value (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the capitalist birth-mark a commodity bears: not in how much it is worth but in how much more it is worth than what went into it.

A Capitalist (n.) must ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠sell dearer than he bought — and does, not by selling above value, but by selling things worth more than what went into them.

A Capitalist (n.) never ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠pauses his consumption: he advances himself money against surplus-value he has yet to hunt down, and only bankruptcy shows how far he spent in anticipation.

A Capitalist (n.) seen ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠only as the personification of capital, and not also as capitalist consumer and man of the world, is never seen with money in his hands as a form of revenue.

A Capitalist (n.) does ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not live from hand to mouth, unlike the worker who buys as long as he can; and because his motive is maximal valorization, he may sit on his money and stall the whole circuit.

The Credit system (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not a new stage beyond the money economy but only a form of it: both name modes of commerce, not modes of production.

The Credit system (n.) turns ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the hoard into capital — not in its owner's hands but at other capitalists' disposal: the amortization money lying idle for the next machine goes to work for someone else.

Credit system (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠built partly on idle money that the mere rhythm of turnover keeps throwing off — capital set free not because business is slack but because the clock says so.

Credit system (n.) lets ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠temporarily freed money get stuck in new ventures when it ought to be setting in motion the surplus products still held down elsewhere.

A Crisis (n.) breaks ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠out when goods must be sold at any price, not because no one wants them but because bills are falling due: the forced sale has nothing to do with the demand for goods, only with the demand for payment.

A Crisis (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠built into the very conditions of normal exchange: each condition for the normal course of reproduction turns into a condition for its abnormal course, since under spontaneous production the balance is itself an accident.

A Crisis (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠always the starting-point of a large volume of new investment: the wreck of one turnover cycle lays the material basis for the next.

A Crisis (n.) begins ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠with a cut in luxuries and ends with a shortage of bread sales: the luxury workers are thrown onto the streets, and then they stop buying necessities.

A Worker (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the capitalist's contradiction: wanted on the market as a buyer of commodities, pressed down to the minimum price as a seller of labour-power.

Worker (n.) are ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠fed by the capitalists, not the reverse — since the money they are paid always returns to the capitalists; they merely receive with one hand and give back with the other.

A Worker (n.) eats, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠for the capitalist's circuit, only as the upkeep of exploitable material, and he must keep alive in order to stay on the market.

A Worker (n.) brings ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a commodity to market — his own skin — and is no capitalist for it: labour-power becomes capital only after it has stopped circulating and been swallowed into production.