The desires of man increase with his acquisitions; every step which he advances brings something within his view, which he did not see before, and which, as soon as he sees it, he begins to want. Where necessity ends, curiosity begins; and no sooner are we supplied with every thing that nature can demand, than […]
Consumers - Consumption Quotes
Whatever is found to gratify the publick, will be multiplied by the emulation of venders beyond necessity or use. This plenty, indeed, produces cheapness, but cheapness always ends in negligence and depravation.
I consider this mighty structure (the pyramid) as a monument to the insufficiency of human enjoyments. A king, whose power is unlimited, and whose treasures surmount all real and imaginary wants, is compelled to solace, by the erection of a Pyramid, the satiety of dominion and tastelessness of pleasures, and to amuse the tediousness of […]
It (the pyramids) seems to have been erected only in compliance with that hunger of imagination which preys incessantly upon life, and must be always appeased by some employment. Those who have already all that they can enjoy must enlarge their desires. He that has built for use till use is supplied, must begin to […]
No matter what their income, a depressing number of Americans believe that if only they had twice as much, they would inherit the estate of happiness promised them in the Declaration on Independence. The man who receives $15,000 a year is sure that he could relieve his sorrow if he had only $30,000 a year; […]
Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption. We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at an ever increasing rate.
Everybody’s got more jet skis and Dustbusters now and sneakers with lights in them. They’ve got more cheese on their thing that they buy. They get double helpings. See, Americans measure all their progress in the wrong way. They measure by quantity and by gizmos and toys. And not by quality and by things that […]
The consumer’s side of the coffin lid is never ostentatious.
Measured in constant dollars, the world’s people have consumed as many goods and services since 1950 (1996) as all previous generations put together. Since 1940, Americans alone have used up as large a share of the Earth’s mineral resources as did everyone before them combined. Yet this historical epoch of titanic consumption appears to have […]
So the wearing of wild beasts’ skins has gone out of fashion… Skins yesterday, purple and gold today – such are the baubles that embitter human life with resentment.
