The illusion that mechanical progress means human improvement ... alienates us from our own being and our own reality. It is precisely… — Thomas Merton Copy Share Image
I saw that a humble man, with the blessing of the Lord, might live on a little; and that where the heart… — John Woolman Copy Share Image
Many of our miseries are merely comparative: we are often made unhappy, not by the presence of any real evil, but by… — Samuel Johnson Copy Share Image
Sufficient for the day is all that we can enjoy. We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day's supply… — Charles Spurgeon Copy Share Image
The most outstanding characteristic of Eastern civilization is to know contentment, whereas that of Western civilization is not to know contentment. Contented… — Hu Shih Copy Share Image
In the current economic situation, the temptation for the more dynamic economies is that of chasing after advantageous alliances that, nevertheless, can… — Pope Benedict XVI Copy Share Image
Too many commercials. Too many lies. Too many celebrities. I don't recognize. Too many brand names. Too many magazines. I got so… — Fred Small Copy Share Image
Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We have created a 'disposable' culture which is now… — Pope Francis Copy Share Image
So many sins against the poor cry out to high heaven! One of the most deadly sins is to deprive the laborer… — Dorothy Day Copy Share Image
But the instinct of hoarding, like all other instincts, tends to become hypertrophied and perverted; and with the institution of private property… — William Ralph Inge Copy Share Image
Can we reasonably expect happiness from an insatiable appetite which, no matter how it stuffs its belly, is still psychologically like Oliver… — Joy Davidman Copy Share Image
Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle. In many parts… — Pope John Paul II Copy Share Image
You, O money, are the cause of a restless life! Because of you we journey toward a premature death; you provide cruel… — Propertius Copy Share Image
What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie… — Sterling Hayden Copy Share Image
Every man is rich or poor according to the proportion between his desires and his enjoyments; any enlargement of wishes is therefore… — Samuel Johnson Copy Share Image
Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with pay. Want more of everything ready-made. Be afraid to know your neighbors and… — Wendell Berry Copy Share Image
The world has proclaimed the reign of freedom, especially of late, but what do we see in this freedom of theirs? Nothing… — Fyodor Dostoevsky Copy Share Image
We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf (cf. Ex 32:1-35) has returned in a new and ruthless… — Pope Francis Copy Share Image
The gospel preached during every television show is 'You only go around once in life, so get all the gusto you can.'… — John Silber Copy Share Image
I want a change, and a radical change. I want a change from an acquisitive society to a functional society, from a… — Peter Maurin Copy Share Image
It was only in the late nineteenth century and then the twentieth century, with the maturation of consumer capitalism, that a shift… — Rodney Clapp Copy Share Image
It was with the Industrial Revolution, as society plunged ever more eagerly into the conquest of material riches and bent all its… — Jacques Ellul Copy Share Image
I think of the old slavery, and of the way The Economy has now improved upon it. The new slavery has improved… — Wendell Berry Copy Share Image
We can be content with simplicity because the deepest most satisfying delights God gives us through creation are free gifts from nature… — John Piper Copy Share Image
