Wealth & Money Quote by James Buchan

Bankers, in Buchan's framing, aren’t just paid well; they’re emotionally priced. The sting of the line comes from how neatly it converts a cultural cliché - “finance is about numbers” - into an accusation about character. If self-worth is denominated in money, then a bonus isn’t merely compensation. It’s proof of personhood. That’s why the punchline lands: once you’ve mistaken the market’s verdict for a moral one, “explaining yourself” starts to feel as unnecessary as justifying gravity.

Buchan’s intent is less to demonize individuals than to anatomize a professional ecology. Banking becomes a closed-loop system of affirmation: high pay signals high value; high value licenses opacity; opacity protects the pay. The phrase “fine fellows” is doing sly work here, borrowing the language of clubbiness and old-boy charm to underline how status can masquerade as virtue. It’s not that bankers never offer explanations; it’s that the institution teaches them their spreadsheets already constitute an alibi.

The subtext is about accountability in a world where abstraction is power. Modern finance thrives on complexity, and complexity is a convenient moat: if ordinary people can’t parse the instruments, they’re nudged into accepting the outcomes as technical rather than political. Read against the backdrop of repeated crises and bailouts, the line doubles as a critique of moral hazard. When you’re rewarded for risk and insulated from consequence, self-scrutiny becomes irrational. Buchan’s cynicism isn’t just about greed; it’s about a culture that confuses being paid with being right.