--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Advertising prods people into wanting…" description: "\"Advertising prods people into wanting more and better things. Of course advertising makes people dissatisfied with what they have - makes them raise th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/bernice-fitz-gibbon-42024_advertising_advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-mo_1996757.png" --- # Advertising prods people into wanting more and better… ![“Advertising prods people into wanting more and better things. Of course advertising makes people dissatisfied with what they have - makes them raise their sights. Mighty good thing it does. Nothing could be worse for the United States than 200,000,000 satisfied Americans.” quote by Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/bernice-fitz-gibbon-42024_advertising_advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-mo_1996757.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/bernice-fitz-gibbon-42024_advertising_advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-mo_1996757.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/bernice-fitz-gibbon-42024_advertising_advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-mo_1996757.png) > “Advertising prods people into wanting more and better things. Of course advertising makes people dissatisfied with what they have - makes them raise their sights. Mighty good thing it does. Nothing could be worse for the United States than 200,000,000 satisfied Americans.” [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advertising creates desire, pushing people to seek better, which fuels progress but also dissatisfaction **In simple terms:** Advertising fuels desire, driving progress and dissatisfaction Key Takeaway Recognize desire as a catalyst, not a flaw Themes consumer culture desire progress Mood critical reflective Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - marketing strategy - personal ambition - political discourse Key Concepts Economic growth psychology of wants media influence Questions to Reflect On - How does desire shape societal values? - When does ambition become harmful? A Different Perspective Excessive desire can lead to wasteful consumption ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Advertising Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising-makes-2365630/) [Advertising Prods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising-prods-3490682/) [Better things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-things/) [Consumerism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumerism/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Dissatisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissatisfaction/) [Dissatisfied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissatisfied/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Good thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Dissatisfied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-dissatisfied-3490683/) [Raises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raises/) [Satisfied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfied/) [Satisfied Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfied-americans-2680755/) [Sight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sight/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Wanting Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting-better-263285/) [Wanting more](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting-more/) ## Related quotes > [We know that the French are very different from the Americans in their satisfaction with life. They're much less satisfied. Americans are pretty high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/we-know-that-the-french-are-very-different-from-the-americans-in/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“There has been a sustained and dreadfully successful campaign to make most people dissatisfied with what I would call the normal life and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/there-has-been-a-sustained-and-dreadfully-successful-campaign-to-make/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [“If advertising simply provided information, it would be hard to object. But a lot of advertising makes us feel we need something that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/if-advertising-simply-provided-information-it-would-be-hard-to-object/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [We live in a world where a lot of people are dissatisfied and can't wait, in 140 characters or less, to tell you how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/we-live-in-a-world-where-a-lot-of-people-are-dissatisfied-and-can-t/) [Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/) > [That which makes people dissatisfied with their condition, is the chimerical idea they form of the happiness of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomson/that-which-makes-people-dissatisfied-with-their-condition-is-the/) [James Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomson/) > [Most people are dissatisfied with their bag, they work hard to get a damn raise. Inflation eats it up. They're locked into the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-paycheck/most-people-are-dissatisfied-with-their-bag-they-work-hard-to-get-a/) [Johnny Paycheck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-paycheck/) > [I understand the concept of advertising. It makes sense. Companies want to reach customers with information about their products. It's a completely legitimate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sweeney/i-understand-the-concept-of-advertising-it-makes-sense-companies-want/) [Tim Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sweeney/) > [Facebook, when it began, like Google, was very resistant to advertising. They knew, like all - Mark Zuckerberg, like all good engineers, knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/facebook-when-it-began-like-google-was-very-resistant-to-advertising/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [If we listen human instinct actually tells us what we need, but advertising makes us want things we don't need and things we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williams/if-we-listen-human-instinct-actually-tells-us-what-we-need-but/) [Kit Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-williams/) > [“want to be overwhelmed, too, while I’m still not too old. I want to be blown away by greatness. Because I’ve started wanting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/want-to-be-overwhelmed-too-while-i-m-still-not-too-old-i-want-to-be/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [“You can't blame a man for wanting to better himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/you-can-t-blame-a-man-for-wanting-to-better-himself/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“The ‘good life’ begins when you stop wanting a better one”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkosiphambili-e-molapis/the-good-life-begins-when-you-stop-wanting-a-better-one/) [Nkosiphambili E. Molapis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkosiphambili-e-molapis/) > [Knowing that it will get better. Just wanting it to be better soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/knowing-that-it-will-get-better-just-wanting-it-to-be-better-soon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wanting is always better then getting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aries/wanting-is-always-better-then-getting/) [Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aries/) > [A lot of what keeps me going is wanting to be better, thinking I'm not good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-jane-grace/a-lot-of-what-keeps-me-going-is-wanting-to-be-better-thinking-i-m-not/) [Laura Jane Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-jane-grace/) ## More by Bernice Fitz-Gibbon > [Of course advertising creates wants. Of course it makes people discontented, dissatisfied. Satisfaction with things as they are would defeat the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/of-course-advertising-creates-wants-of-course-it-makes-people/) [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) > [It's smart to be thrifty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/it-s-smart-to-be-thrifty/) [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) > [Creativity often consists of merely turning up what is already there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/creativity-often-consists-of-merely-turning-up-what-is-already-there/) [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) > [Creativity often consists of merely turning up what is already there. Did you know that right and left shoes were thought up only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/creativity-often-consists-of-merely-turning-up-what-is-already-there-2/) [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) > [To be a success in advertising you must want to fill other people with a passion for possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/to-be-a-success-in-advertising-you-must-want-to-fill-other-people/) [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) > [A good ad should be like a good sermon: It must not only comfort the afflicted, it also must afflict the comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/a-good-ad-should-be-like-a-good-sermon-it-must-not-only-comfort-the/) [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) > [deferring gratification is a good definition of being civilized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/deferring-gratification-is-a-good-definition-of-being-civilized/) [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) > [Teenagers travel in droves, packs, swarms. ... To the librarian, they're a gaggle of geese. To the cook, they're a scourge of locusts. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/teenagers-travel-in-droves-packs-swarms-to-the-librarian-they-re-a/) [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) > [Creativity varies inversely with the number of cooks involved in the broth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/creativity-varies-inversely-with-the-number-of-cooks-involved-in-the/) [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) [Explore all 10 Bernice Fitz-Gibbon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) ## More Advertising quotes > [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest-it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gossage/advertising-justifies-its-existence-when-used-in-the-public-interest/) [Howard Gossage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gossage/) > [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [We have the capital, the resources, and the technology that we need to build a mobile advertising platform across the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-tewari/we-have-the-capital-the-resources-and-the-technology-that-we-need-to/) [Naveen Tewari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-tewari/) > [“Never run advertising until the major publicity possibilities have been exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/never-run-advertising-until-the-major-publicity-possibilities-have/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [God never talks. But the devil keeps advertising, Father. The devil does a lot of commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/god-never-talks-but-the-devil-keeps-advertising-father-the-devil-does/) [William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/) > [I like Valentine's Day. The trouble is the florists and the candy-makers and the card people are all advertising so much, you don't dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-like-valentine-s-day-the-trouble-is-the-florists-and-the-candy/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I happened to be spotted by a modeling agent who offered me a part-time job at 16. Everything happened very quickly after that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-happened-to-be-spotted-by-a-modeling-agent-who-offered-me-a-part/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [They say that Madison Avenue will only pay high dollars in advertising if they get the 18-35 age range.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gless/they-say-that-madison-avenue-will-only-pay-high-dollars-in/) [Sharon Gless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gless/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-johnson/this-hype-word-bothers-me-though-it-always-sounds-like-an-accusation/) [Holly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-johnson/) > [I'm supposed to be taking time off. But I'm still writing and I have this Gap advert lined up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/i-m-supposed-to-be-taking-time-off-but-i-m-still-writing-and-i-have/) [Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/) > [Any seeming deception in a statement is costly, not only in the expense of the advertising but in the detrimental effect produced upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/any-seeming-deception-in-a-statement-is-costly-not-only-in-the/) [John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/) [Browse all 1,942 Advertising quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Advertising prods people into wanting more and better things. Of course advertising makes people dissatisfied with what they have - makes them raise their sights. Mighty good thing it does. Nothing could be worse for the United States than 200,000,000 satisfied Americans.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bernice Fitz-Gibbon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-more-and-better-things-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advertising" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-more-and-better-things-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/bernice-fitz-gibbon-42024_advertising_advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-mo_1996757.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/bernice-fitz-gibbon-42024_advertising_advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-mo_1996757.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/bernice-fitz-gibbon-42024_advertising_advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-mo_1996757.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Advertising prods people into wanting more and better things. Of course advertising makes people…” — Bernice Fitz-Gibbon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bernice Fitz-Gibbon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Advertising prods people into wanting more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-more-and-better-things-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/advertising-prods-people-into-wanting-more-and-better-things-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```