Quote 1
“Certainly. When you find a diamond that belongs to nobody, it is yours. When you discover an island that belongs to nobody, it is yours. When you get an idea before any one else, you take out a patent on it: it is yours. So with me: I own the stars, because nobody else before me ever thought of owning them.” (13.38)
The businessman claims to “own the stars” based on an idea of originality: he thinks that “because nobody else […] thought of owning them,” he gets first dibs. However, he can’t touch the stars, put them in a pocket, or give them to somebody else. Is it still true that he can really own them?
Quote 2
“Eh? Are you still there? Five-hundred-and-one million—I can’t stop… I have so much to do! I am concerned with matters of consequence. I don’t amuse myself with balderdash. Two and five make seven…” (13.5)
The businessman, who is counting the stars, keeps persevering with his task. He’s millions of stars in. He thinks what he’s doing is super important and that everything else is “balderdash.” Ironically, though, by paying attention to something like this he misses out on other really important things, like human interaction. What’s really “balderdash” in this scenario?