How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Money!" he said. "Money is a sort of instinct. It's a sort of property of nature in a man to make money. It's nothing you do. It's no trick you play. It's a sort of permanent accident of your own nature; once you start, you make money, and you go on; up to a point, I suppose." (3.14)
Michaelis sees his own success as something that's just part of his nature, like his eye or hair color. The ability to make money is born into you, which is bad news for all those pulling-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps stories.
Quote #2
"It's quite true, you can't live without cash," said May. "You've got to have a certain amount of it to be able to live and get along...even to be free to think you must have a certain amount of money, or your stomach stops you." (4.20)
Clifford's friend May pragmatically admits that money is a necessity. It's all well and good to talk about wanting to live the life of the mind, but it's hard to actually live it when your stomach is craving a double pounder with cheese—or an organic kale smoothie from Whole Foods, whatever gets your juices flowing.
Quote #3
Sobs, snuffles, a fist taken from a blubbered face, and a black shrewd eye cast for a second on the sixpence. Then more sobs, but subduing. "There, tell me what's the matter, tell me!" said Connie, putting the coin into the child's chubby hand, which closed over it. (6.51)
This isn't Connie Chatterley—this is Connie Mellors, Mellors's daughter. No child-like innocence here. Like Michaelis, Connie Mellors was born with the money instinct.