--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we crumble under the exorbitant…" description: "\"“When we crumble under the exorbitant weight of conspicuous commodities and the material pressure in a universe of illusion, life may become disheveled..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/erik-pevernagie-688_conspicuous-consumpt_when-we-crumble-under-the-exorbitant-wei_1280057.jpg" --- # When we crumble under the exorbitant weight of conspicuous… ![“When we crumble under the exorbitant weight of conspicuous commodities and the material pressure in a universe of illusion, life may become disheveled and devastated, while our mind has been dumbed down and our willpower crippled. ( “Buying now. Dying later “ )” quote by Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/erik-pevernagie-688_conspicuous-consumpt_when-we-crumble-under-the-exorbitant-wei_1280057.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/erik-pevernagie-688_conspicuous-consumpt_when-we-crumble-under-the-exorbitant-wei_1280057.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/erik-pevernagie-688_conspicuous-consumpt_when-we-crumble-under-the-exorbitant-wei_1280057.jpg) > ““When we crumble under the exorbitant weight of conspicuous commodities and the material pressure in a universe of illusion, life may become disheveled and devastated, while our mind has been dumbed down and our willpower crippled. ( “Buying now. Dying later “ )”” [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excessive consumerism overwhelms individuals, eroding mental clarity and willpower, leading to a chaotic, unfulfilling life. **In simple terms:** Materialism clouds mind and weakens resolve. Key Takeaway Resist consumer pressure; seek simplicity. Themes consumerism mental health willpower illusion simplicity Mood anxious reflective Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - shopping addiction - financial stress - personal development - environmental awareness Key Concepts psychology social critique mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How does your consumption reflect your values? - What steps can you take to simplify your life? A Different Perspective Overcoming materialism requires systemic change, not just personal will. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conspicuous consumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspicuous-consumption/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Dumbing down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumbing-down/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) [Willpower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willpower/) ## Related quotes > [“Some are in tune with the swanky, but not in tune with themselves. Their desire has become the desire of the others ('''Buying now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/some-are-in-tune-with-the-swanky-but-not-in-tune-with-themselves/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [I remember as a kid not ever wanting to have friends around to my house because it was, for want of a better description,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-taylor-wood/i-remember-as-a-kid-not-ever-wanting-to-have-friends-around-to-my/) [Sam Taylor-Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-taylor-wood/) > [“For the vile human pigs in life; the sloppy, disheveled, uncaring dregs, the ungrateful, and especially for the vicious, negative emotional peasants — there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/for-the-vile-human-pigs-in-life-the-sloppy-disheveled-uncaring-dregs/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) ## More by Erik Pevernagie > [“Let us not subside into a single mandatory way of thinking or feeling, immersed by a spirit of self-gratification. 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This apprehension can come out of the blue, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/man-may-feel-like-a-feeble-and-powerless-pawn-at-some-moment-in-his/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“When we are grappling with misery and our heart is in a knot, we may well do better to snap back to a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-we-are-grappling-with-misery-and-our-heart-is-in-a-knot-we-may/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“The day we decide to drop the flimsy makeshift scenarios in our cluttered mind and eschew the ‘alleluias’ of self-importance, life can become genuine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/the-day-we-decide-to-drop-the-flimsy-makeshift-scenarios-in-our/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“If the vibrant and frolicking merry-go-round of our daily living has been ousted by an eerie void of an intractable vacuum, only inspiriting memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/if-the-vibrant-and-frolicking-merry-go-round-of-our-daily-living-has/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“One day it may feel as if energy and enthusiasm are quenched, feelings dried up and emotions scorched, love and affection tangled in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/one-day-it-may-feel-as-if-energy-and-enthusiasm-are-quenched-feelings/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“Let us find inner freedom in each lucky moment that we encounter, like a sun-basking butterfly that finds peace on a cherry blossom petal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-find-inner-freedom-in-each-lucky-moment-that-we-encounter-like/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“It is so simple and easy to hate and so grueling and hard to love, when the emotional “love forever”- revelation has become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/it-is-so-simple-and-easy-to-hate-and-so-grueling-and-hard-to-love/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“Giving up the obsession of sign-values and the subservient fascination of the social pyramid, allows us to set priorities in life, find out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/giving-up-the-obsession-of-sign-values-and-the-subservient/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“When people’s parallel truth collides with their real truth, they may have a hard time in subduing all the fanciful items and characters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-people-s-parallel-truth-collides-with-their-real-truth-they-may/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“Love is a challenge with an illusion emanating an aura of otherness. 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We must balance conspicuous consumption with conscious capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kruse/we-must-balance-conspicuous-consumption-with-conscious-capitalism/) Kevin Kruse > [the conspicuous consumption of limited resources has yet to be accepted widely as a spiritual error, or even bad manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-conspicuous-consumption-of-limited-resources-has-yet-to-be/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [ I write for one and only one purpose, to overcome the invincible ignorance of the traduced heart. \[…\] I wish to speak to and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-rexroth/i-write-for-one-and-only-one-purpose-to-overcome-the-invincible/) [Kenneth Rexroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-rexroth/) > [“The childish and savage taste of men and women for new patterns keeps how many shaking and squinting through kaleidoscopes that they may discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-childish-and-savage-taste-of-men-and-women-for-new-patterns-keeps/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/conspicuous-consumption-of-valuable-goods-is-a-means-of-reputability/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [“Now that everyone can afford status items like designer jeans, conspicuous consumption gives way to conspicuous exertion. Sheer exhilarating length becomes a value in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/now-that-everyone-can-afford-status-items-like-designer-jeans/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“. . . every society that grows extensive lawns could produce all its food on the same area, using the same resources, and .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/every-society-that-grows-extensive-lawns-could-produce-all-its-food/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [“. . . every society that grows extensive lawns could produce all its food on the same area, using the same resources, and .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/every-society-that-grows-extensive-lawns-could-produce-all-its-food-2/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [We need way more intimacy than nearly anyone considers normal. Always hungry for it, we seek solace and sustenance in the closest available substitutes:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/we-need-way-more-intimacy-than-nearly-anyone-considers-normal-always/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [ The students \[of the 60's\] substituted conspicuous compassion for their parents' conspicuous consumption. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/the-students-of-the-60-s-substituted-conspicuous-compassion-for-their/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [“Photography created, and then social media aggravated, the vast majority of people’s inability to enjoy what is happening … without the urge to capture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/photography-created-and-then-social-media-aggravated-the-vast/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) [Browse all 33 Conspicuous consumption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspicuous-consumption/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When we crumble under the exorbitant weight of conspicuous commodities and the material pressure in a universe of illusion, life may become disheveled and devastated, while our mind has been dumbed down and our willpower crippled. 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