Let us look at the matter a little closer. To the owner of a commodity,
 every other commodity is, in regard to his own, a particular equivalent,
 and consequently his own commodity is the universal equivalent for all
 the others. But since this applies to every owner, there is, in fact, no
 commodity acting as universal equivalent, and the relative value of commodities
 possesses no general form under which they can be equated as values and
 have the magnitude of their values compared. So far, therefore, they do
 not confront each other as commodities, but only as products or use-values.
 In their difficulties our commodity owners think like Faust: “Im Anfang
 war die Tat.” [“In the beginning was the deed.” – Goethe, Faust.] 
 They therefore acted and transacted before they thought.
 Instinctively they conform to the laws imposed by the nature of commodities.
 They cannot bring their commodities into relation as values, and therefore
 as commodities, except by comparing them with some one other commodity
 as the universal equivalent. That we saw from the analysis of a commodity.
 But a particular commodity cannot become the universal equivalent except
 by a social act. The social action therefore of all other commodities,
 sets apart the particular commodity in which they all represent their values.
 Thereby the bodily form of this commodity becomes the form of the socially
 recognised universal equivalent. To be the universal equivalent, becomes,
 by this social process, the specific function of the commodity thus excluded
 by the rest. Thus it becomes – money. “Illi unum consilium habent et virtutem
 et potestatem suam bestiae tradunt. Et ne quis possit emere aut vendere,
 nisi qui habet characterem aut nomen bestiae aut numerum nominis ejus.” [“These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” Revelations, 17:13; “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelations, 13:17.]
 (Apocalypse.)