Lessons from industry leaders in simple terms

"Bitcoin is the best store of value since gold"

Cameron Winklevoss, co-founder of the Gemini crypto exchange, reminds us that the first cryptocurrency shares many similarities with precious metals and natural resources — it's no coincidence that Bitcoin is called "digital gold," while the leading altcoin Ethereum is referred to as "digital oil."

Like gold, Bitcoin is scarce and has no expiration date, which increases its value as an asset. Unlike stocks and fiat currencies, which can be issued unlimitedly, Bitcoin issuance will stop once miners mine 21 million BTC.

Former Bitcoin marketer Dan Held said, "Bitcoin is the perfect asset: scarce, durable, portable, divisible, recognizable." To this, one can add that Bitcoin is a digital asset that, unlike gold, does not require costly physical storage.

Unlike gold, a cryptocurrency owner doesn't need to delegate storage to any depositories or risk-keeping assets at home. Nick Szabo, developer of the first digital currency prototype BitGold and inventor of smart contracts, said: "Trust is the most expensive asset in the economy. Blockchain reduces its cost."

"Don't keep your bitcoins on exchanges. Not your keys — not your coins"

It is one of the most popular phrases in the crypto community, coined by renowned crypto evangelist Andreas Antonopoulos. This means that only the user is personally responsible for storing their digital assets, and no one can take that responsibility immediately. However, if the mnemonic phrase to the crypto wallet is lost or compromised, the digital assets will be irretrievably lost.

Andreas Antonopoulos also said, "Bitcoin is the first instance in history where money works without permission," a phrase crucial for understanding cryptocurrencies. Traditional money or stocks cannot be accessed without permission from banks and financial institutions, which require mandatory user identification.

Bitcoin can be used like cash, anonymously, without the need to disclose identity. Also, Bitcoin holders can use the cryptocurrency freely and participate in its issuance, which is impossible with fiat money and other traditional assets.

"Bitcoin will reach $100,000; it's only a matter of time"

One of the most famous crypto analysts on Twitter, known as PlanB and author of the well-known Stock-to-Flow (S2F) model, first stated this back in 2019. This is not just another prediction, like forecasts of Bitcoin reaching $1 million or more, but a calculation.

As can be seen, Bitcoin eventually surpassed its all-time high (ATH) and hit $100,000, although not in the period expected by the author: according to PlanB's model, Bitcoin should have reached this level back in 2021 but only reached $69,000.

Nevertheless, historically, Bitcoin's price clearly shows the considerable role that limited issuance (total coins in circulation) plays in the asset's value amid growing demand from investors and active users.

The S2F model, on which PlanB bases its cryptocurrency price forecast, compares Bitcoin to other rare assets such as gold and silver and considers limited issuance and halving (the halving of miner rewards for BTC mining).

"The best time to buy cryptocurrency was yesterday. The next best time is today"

This quote belongs to Changpeng Zhao, founder and former CEO of the largest crypto exchange, Binance, also known as CZ.

Here, the idea is that it doesn't matter when a user buys cryptocurrency — in the long term, they will still come out ahead.

Even investors who bought Bitcoin in 2021, when the cryptocurrency reached a new historical high of $69,000, could still realize a profit as of November 2024, assuming they hadn't sold earlier.

However, since cryptocurrencies tend to fluctuate significantly, many investors prefer a dollar-cost averaging (DCA) strategy, buying assets periodically rather than investing all at once. "Volatility is normal. The key is not to panic," said Zhao.

"I would sell all my stocks before selling Bitcoin"

This phrase was said by Bitcoin advocate and MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, perfectly fitting the HODL ideology ("buy and hold").

MicroStrategy is one of the largest holders of Bitcoin and is known for never selling its cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is the only digital asset MicroStrategy owns.

As of May 2025, the company holds 568,840 BTC, valued at $62.9 billion — about 2.7% of the total Bitcoin issuance of 21 million. Saylor stated in 2020 that he owns 17,732 bitcoins, but his current holdings are unknown.

Michael Saylor also said, "Bitcoin is a life raft in the ocean of inflation." The limited issuance of the main crypto asset amid market inflation ensures sustainable long-term growth, so experienced investors prefer accumulating bitcoins rather than selling them. According to River's data from November 2024, over 850,000 addresses hold between 1 and 10 BTC, and more than 3.5 million wallets hold 0.1–1 BTC.

If a user bought BTC for $2,000–$20,000 in 2017, their Bitcoin capital would have grown 5.5 to 55 times by May 2025. However, as CZ said, there is no better time to buy Bitcoin than now.

To sum up with this quote: "Bitcoin is a good thing," said Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.