Do you know the only thing that gives me pleasure? It’s to see my dividends coming in.

The line portrays Rockefeller as the archetype of the disciplined capitalist: pleasure is not tied to consumption, luxury, or public acclaim, but to the steady, measurable return on invested capital. “Dividends coming in” signals a preference for predictable cash flow and the long view—wealth as a system that reproduces itself rather than a pile to be spent. Read this way, the quote underscores a mindset of control, calculation, and delayed gratification, where satisfaction comes from the confirmation that one’s enterprises are functioning profitably. It also hints at the emotional narrowing that critics associate with extreme accumulation: joy reduced to financial yield.