--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can pay the ecological debt by…" description: "\"We can pay the ecological debt by changing economic models, and by giving up luxury consumption, setting aside selfishness and individualism, and think..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/evo-morales-4556_consumption_we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changi_2077471.jpg" --- # We can pay the ecological debt by changing economic… ![“We can pay the ecological debt by changing economic models, and by giving up luxury consumption, setting aside selfishness and individualism, and thinking about the people and the planet Earth.” quote by Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/evo-morales-4556_consumption_we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changi_2077471.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/evo-morales-4556_consumption_we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changi_2077471.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/evo-morales-4556_consumption_we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changi_2077471.jpg) > “We can pay the ecological debt by changing economic models, and by giving up luxury consumption, setting aside selfishness and individualism, and thinking about the people and the planet Earth.” [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Addressing environmental crises requires reshaping economies, reducing excess consumption, and prioritizing collective wellbeing over individual greed. **In simple terms:** Change economies, cut luxury, think community and Earth. Key Takeaway Adopt sustainable, community‑focused economic policies. Themes environment economics social responsibility sustainability collective action Mood concerned determined hopeful Type policy activist philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - corporate strategy - personal lifestyle choices - urban planning - education curricula Key Concepts ecological economics behavioral change systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance growth with ecological limits? - What incentives can shift consumer habits toward sustainability? A Different Perspective Economic transition is politically challenging and may face resistance from entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumption/) [Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt/) [Debt Changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt-changing-4040884/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Earth day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-day/) [Ecological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecological/) [Ecological Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecological-debt-4040881/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Economic models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-models/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Individualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individualism/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Luxury Consumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury-consumption-4040883/) [Models](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/models/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Pay Ecological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-ecological-4040882/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Planet earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planet-earth/) [Planets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planets/) [Selfishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfishness/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The world owes an ecological debt to the African continent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/the-world-owes-an-ecological-debt-to-the-african-continent/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) > [“Hygge is thought to be lost when we indulge in luxury consumption or when we thirst to be noticed, no matter how simply we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-thomsen-brits/hygge-is-thought-to-be-lost-when-we-indulge-in-luxury-consumption-or/) [Louisa Thomsen Brits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-thomsen-brits/) > [The luxury of today is the necessity of tomorrow. Every advance first comes into being as the luxury of a few rich people, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-luxury-of-today-is-the-necessity-of-tomorrow-every-advance-first/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [The fight against capitalism has many aspects, particularly the distinctive economic models that concentrate the capital in few hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/the-fight-against-capitalism-has-many-aspects-particularly-the/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [The reality is sometimes markets don't exist for very good reasons. It might be that there isn't a deep customer need. Or the economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-d-anthony/the-reality-is-sometimes-markets-don-t-exist-for-very-good-reasons-it/) [Scott D. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-d-anthony/) > [Economic theorists, like French chefs in regard to food, have developed stylized models whose ingredients are limited by some unwritten rules. Just as traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-akerlof/economic-theorists-like-french-chefs-in-regard-to-food-have-developed/) [George Akerlof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-akerlof/) > [Turns out, people's brains are not nearly as powerful a motivator as our hearts. Facts, data, and economic models don't move people to courageous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leonard/turns-out-people-s-brains-are-not-nearly-as-powerful-a-motivator-as/) [Annie Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leonard/) > [Unlike Hegel's progress model of history, which moves by stages, each containing its own logic of growth and decline, the economic model develops as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carroll/unlike-hegel-s-progress-model-of-history-which-moves-by-stages-each/) [John Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carroll/) > [Much of my work in this period was concerned with exploring the logic of economic models, but also with attempting to reconcile the models…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/much-of-my-work-in-this-period-was-concerned-with-exploring-the-logic/) [Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/) > [The corporatist-economic model of society appears to be governing us. Economists, often in the pay of transnationals, are deciding, for us, what democracy is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-w-powe/the-corporatist-economic-model-of-society-appears-to-be-governing-us/) [B. W. Powe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-w-powe/) > [The most glaring deficiency in traditional economic models is that they completely ignore the role of context in evaluation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-frank/the-most-glaring-deficiency-in-traditional-economic-models-is-that/) [Robert H. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-frank/) > [Nothing in these abstract economic models actually works in the real world. It doesn't matter how many footnotes they put in, or how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/nothing-in-these-abstract-economic-models-actually-works-in-the-real/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I think ultimately Obama's ability to rebuild America's image in the world will depend less on his personal good will and more his ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-beinart/i-think-ultimately-obama-s-ability-to-rebuild-america-s-image-in-the/) [Peter Beinart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-beinart/) > [If the search is for examples that contradict the predictions of standard economic models, a good rule of thumb is to start in France.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-frank/if-the-search-is-for-examples-that-contradict-the-predictions-of/) [Robert H. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-frank/) > [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) ## More by Evo Morales > [To talk only about national security, national defense, means to be selfish, ambitious. It is discrimination, isolation. "It is just me. What do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/to-talk-only-about-national-security-national-defense-means-to-be/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [Capitalism has only hurt Latin America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/capitalism-has-only-hurt-latin-america/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [Bolivia is a majority indigenous nation, but that majority has always been excluded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/bolivia-is-a-majority-indigenous-nation-but-that-majority-has-always/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [Globalization and the neoliberal economic model have already been rejected in Latin America; it simply hasn't been a solution for our people. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/globalization-and-the-neoliberal-economic-model-have-already-been/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [Secret bank accounts are for laundering dirty money. Heads of state at the UN should put an end them. That would be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/secret-bank-accounts-are-for-laundering-dirty-money-heads-of-state-at/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [ \[In Bolivia\] We want to overcome our historical problems with Chile. The sea has divided us and the sea must bring us back together… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/in-bolivia-we-want-to-overcome-our-historical-problems-with-chile-the/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [There was no private property in the past. Everything was communal property. In the Indian community where I was born, everything belonged to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/there-was-no-private-property-in-the-past-everything-was-communal/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [Natural disasters in Bolivia have been getting worse with the passage of time. It's brought about by a system: the capitalist system, the unbridled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/natural-disasters-in-bolivia-have-been-getting-worse-with-the-passage/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [In Bolivia there are Catholic, Evangelical, Methodist, Baptist churches, and so on. In Bolivia there are indigenous religious beliefs like the rite of Pachamama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/in-bolivia-there-are-catholic-evangelical-methodist-baptist-churches/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [We welcome private investment, but any company or national firm will be a partner of a venture where the result will go mainly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/we-welcome-private-investment-but-any-company-or-national-firm-will/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [Vaca Diez, do not destroy our country!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/vaca-diez-do-not-destroy-our-country/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [The chicken that we eat is chock-full of feminine hormones. So, when men eat these chickens, they deviate from themselves as men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/the-chicken-that-we-eat-is-chock-full-of-feminine-hormones-so-when/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [I have a lot of hope for the Constituent Assembly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/i-have-a-lot-of-hope-for-the-constituent-assembly/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [Globalization creates economic policies where the transnationals lord over us, and the result is misery and unemployment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/globalization-creates-economic-policies-where-the-transnationals-lord/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [The U.S. should be equally responsible for diminishing the cocaine market within the United States as it is in fighting the drug elsewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/the-u-s-should-be-equally-responsible-for-diminishing-the-cocaine/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) [Explore all 109 Evo Morales quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) ## More Consumption quotes > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [“Truth is commodity in political consumption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/truth-is-commodity-in-political-consumption/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Is the minor convenience of allowing the present generation the luxury of doubling its energy consumption every 10 years worth the major hazard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/is-the-minor-convenience-of-allowing-the-present-generation-the/) [David R. Brower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-brower/) > [The obsessive documentation is itself adjacent to hyper-consumption in our society. The desire to just have everything all the time and adjacent to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-leo/the-obsessive-documentation-is-itself-adjacent-to-hyper-consumption/) [Ted Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-leo/) > [Over-consumption is a cancer eating away at our spiritual vitals. It distances us from the great masses of broken bleeding humanity. It converts us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-foster/over-consumption-is-a-cancer-eating-away-at-our-spiritual-vitals-it/) [Richard J. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-foster/) > [The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is a very effective way to raise awareness and consumption of two vital food groups that are sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dean-crapo/the-fresh-fruit-and-vegetable-program-is-a-very-effective-way-to/) [Michael Dean Crapo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dean-crapo/) > [On the whole it may be observed, that the specific use of a body of unproductive consumers, is to give encouragement to wealth by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/on-the-whole-it-may-be-observed-that-the-specific-use-of-a-body-of/) [Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/) > [Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are primarily for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/gentlemen-comrades-do-not-be-concerned-about-all-you-hear-about/) [Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/) > [We are being conditioned, as a population, to never wait, to never delay our gratification, to accept thoughtless, constant consumption as the new norm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-wortham/we-are-being-conditioned-as-a-population-to-never-wait-to-never-delay/) [Jenna Wortham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-wortham/) > [Americans don't eat horses. They are not raised as food animals and they are treated with chemicals that render them unsafe for consumption. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/americans-don-t-eat-horses-they-are-not-raised-as-food-animals-and/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [You might think of consumption as a fairly passive activity, but buying new products and services is actually pretty risky, at least if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/you-might-think-of-consumption-as-a-fairly-passive-activity-but/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [“Every society clings to a myth by which it lives. Ours is the myth of economic growth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-jackson/every-society-clings-to-a-myth-by-which-it-lives-ours-is-the-myth-of/) [Tim Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-jackson/) > [You cannot control your own population by force, but it can be distracted by consumption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/you-cannot-control-your-own-population-by-force-but-it-can-be/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“The regular consumption of amino acids improved my health.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-regular-consumption-of-amino-acids-improved-my-health/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [At the outset of the creation of the euro in 1999, it was expected that the southern eurozone economies would behave like those in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/at-the-outset-of-the-creation-of-the-euro-in-1999-it-was-expected/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) [Browse all 771 Consumption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumption/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We can pay the ecological debt by changing economic models, and by giving up luxury consumption, setting aside selfishness and individualism, and thinking about the people and the planet Earth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Evo Morales" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changing-economic-models-and-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Consumption" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changing-economic-models-and-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/evo-morales-4556_consumption_we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changi_2077471.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/evo-morales-4556_consumption_we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changi_2077471.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1c/evo-morales-4556_consumption_we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changi_2077471.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We can pay the ecological debt by changing economic models, and by giving up luxury consumption, setting…” — Evo Morales", "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": "Evo Morales", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We can pay the ecological debt...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changing-economic-models-and-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/we-can-pay-the-ecological-debt-by-changing-economic-models-and-by/#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 } } ] } ```