Movie: Wall Street // Said by Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglass) to Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen)

WHAT IT MEANS:
There is no middle ground – either you’re all the way in or you’re all the way out. And if you want to be in, you have to do whatever it takes. In the movie, Gordon says this to explain to Bud that if he wants to “make it,” he has to get involved in insider trading – otherwise his career will only be average.   

IT MAY COME IN HANDY WHEN…

  • You want to convince somebody to join something/someone, especially if they’re already tempted by the idea
  • You’re encouraging somebody to push harder, get more info, make more headway, etc. – this will work especially well if you’re talking to a competitive person
  • You’re telling somebody that there’s no middle ground – either they’re in or they’re out

MOVIE SUMMARY
You can see the full Wall Street summary here.