Notable quotables: Greed and Materialism

[marmar]

It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly. --Thoreau

Purposeless activity may be a phase of death. --Pearl S. Buck

Possessions are usually diminished by possession. –Nietzsche

What a miserable thing life is: you're living in clover, only the clover isn't good enough. --Bertolt Brecht

The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury. --Charlie Chaplin

Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. --Thoreau

Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed. --Albert Einstein

Nothing makes us more vulnerable than loneliness, except greed. --Thomas Harris

Materialism is the only form of distraction from true bliss. --Doug Horton

Money doesn't talk, it swears. --Bob Dylan

The tighter you squeeze, the less you have. --Thomas Merton

You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled. --Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.--Mahatma Gandhi

Thousands upon thousands are yearly brought into a state of real poverty by their great anxiety not to be thought of as poor.—Robert Mallett

The future of civilization depends on our overcoming the meaninglessness and hopelessness that characterizes the thoughts of men today. --Albert Schweitzer

So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning. --Morrie Schwartz

Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves. --Edwin Way Teale

The be-all and end-all of life should not be to get rich, but to enrich the world. -- B. C. Forbes

Learn to live a life of honest poverty, if you must, and turn to more important matters than transporting gold to your grave. – Credenda

That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. -- Thoreau

[Echo In Light]

1. Herbert Marcuse: One-Dimensional Man

http://igw.tuwien.ac.at/christian/marcuse/odm.html

[Speck Tater]

2. "He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough."

- Lao Tsu