--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only way to make something cheaply…" description: "\"The only way to make something cheaply today is to have it mass-produced. For example, you wear the same shoes as everyone else. If you had a fabber, y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/hod-lipson-31697_away_the-only-way-to-make-something-cheaply-t_877227.jpg" --- # The only way to make something cheaply today is to have it… ![“The only way to make something cheaply today is to have it mass-produced. For example, you wear the same shoes as everyone else. If you had a fabber, you could custom-make shoes that perfectly fit your feet. Three-dimensional printing will help us move away from the mass consumption that is so…” quote by Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/hod-lipson-31697_away_the-only-way-to-make-something-cheaply-t_877227.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/hod-lipson-31697_away_the-only-way-to-make-something-cheaply-t_877227.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/hod-lipson-31697_away_the-only-way-to-make-something-cheaply-t_877227.jpg) > “The only way to make something cheaply today is to have it mass-produced. For example, you wear the same shoes as everyone else. If you had a fabber, you could custom-make shoes that perfectly fit your feet. Three-dimensional printing will help us move away from the mass consumption that is so deeply ingrained in our culture.” [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mass production dominates consumption; 3D printing enables custom, on‑demand goods, reducing waste. **In simple terms:** 3D printing can replace mass‑produced items with personalized ones. Key Takeaway Adopt on‑demand manufacturing to cut waste. Themes technology manufacturing environment economics innovation Mood optimistic analytical Type technological environmental When to use this quote - fashion industry - footwear design - home manufacturing - medical prosthetics Key Concepts additive manufacturing customization circular economy Questions to Reflect On - What industries benefit most from on‑demand production? - How can we scale 3D printing sustainably? A Different Perspective High costs and material limits may restrict widespread adoption. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away/) [Cheaply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheaply/) [Consumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumption/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeply/) [Dimensional Printing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dimensional-printing-1015673/) [Else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/else/) [Everyone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyone/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet/) [Feet Dimensional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet-dimensional-1015674/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [For example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/for-example/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [Ingrained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingrained/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Make Cheaply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-cheaply-1015671/) [Make Shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-shoes-715286/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Move](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/move/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Perfectly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectly/) [Printing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/printing/) [Same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/same/) [Shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoes/) [Shoes Fabber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoes-fabber-1015672/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Three-dimensional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-dimensional/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wear/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [I make shoes for white suburban kids, not the poor black kids. That would be like opening a restaurant for people without stomachs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-make-shoes-for-white-suburban-kids-not-the-poor-black-kids-that/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [“I think it’s important to be able to make something, whether it’s shoes or sausage. Food, clothing, and shelter are the basic needs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/i-think-it-s-important-to-be-able-to-make-something-whether-it-s/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [I think I make shoes quite okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manolo-blahnik/i-think-i-make-shoes-quite-okay/) [Manolo Blahnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manolo-blahnik/) > [“It’s the same here as it is on earth—you’ve got to earn a thing, square and honest, before you enjoy it.  You can’t enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-the-same-here-as-it-is-on-earth-you-ve-got-to-earn-a-thing/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Education makes a man a more intelligent shoemaker, if that be his occupation, but not by teaching him how to make shoes; it does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/education-makes-a-man-a-more-intelligent-shoemaker-if-that-be-his/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [The most tragic moment of my life was the first show I ever designed for. I had been asked to make shoes for Ossie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manolo-blahnik/the-most-tragic-moment-of-my-life-was-the-first-show-i-ever-designed/) [Manolo Blahnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manolo-blahnik/) > [It's more expensive for me to make my shoes. I don't use animal-based glues or fish-based glues. So that costs me more. And, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-mccartney/it-s-more-expensive-for-me-to-make-my-shoes-i-don-t-use-animal-based/) [Stella McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-mccartney/) > [It does not matter whether you paint, sculpt, or make shoes, whether you are a gardener, a farmer, a fisherman, a carpenter-it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-does-not-matter-whether-you-paint-sculpt-or-make-shoes-whether-you/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [We don't just make shoes, we try to stay in touch with the world around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/we-don-t-just-make-shoes-we-try-to-stay-in-touch-with-the-world/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [“What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly; it's dearness only that gives everthing its value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-payne/what-we-obtain-too-cheaply-we-esteem-too-lightly-it-s-dearness-only/) [Thomas Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-payne/) > [Two can Live as Cheaply as One for Half as Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-kandel/two-can-live-as-cheaply-as-one-for-half-as-long/) [Howard Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-kandel/) > [If you look at any leaf on any tree branch, it's similar to but not exactly a repetition of the previous branch. So the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jencks/if-you-look-at-any-leaf-on-any-tree-branch-it-s-similar-to-but-not/) [Charles Jencks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jencks/) > [For most of my life, making music has cost me money. So I learned to live very, very cheaply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/for-most-of-my-life-making-music-has-cost-me-money-so-i-learned-to/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [You can make great money in a utility type of business by borrowing cheaply and lending sensibly but that's not what's being done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-whitney/you-can-make-great-money-in-a-utility-type-of-business-by-borrowing/) [Meredith Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-whitney/) > [“The saddest thing about selling out is just how cheaply most of us do it for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bernard-frost/the-saddest-thing-about-selling-out-is-just-how-cheaply-most-of-us-do/) [James Bernard Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bernard-frost/) ## More by Hod Lipson > [So, where are the robots? We've been told for 40 years already that they're coming soon. Very soon they'll be doing everything for us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/so-where-are-the-robots-we-ve-been-told-for-40-years-already-that/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [We tend to think of science as finding equations, like E=MC2, that are simple and elegant. But maybe some theories are complicated, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/we-tend-to-think-of-science-as-finding-equations-like-e-mc2-that-are/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [Restrictions are difficult to enforce in a world where anybody can make anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/restrictions-are-difficult-to-enforce-in-a-world-where-anybody-can/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [3D printing is already shaking our age-old notions of what can and can't be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/3d-printing-is-already-shaking-our-age-old-notions-of-what-can-and/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [When it costs you the same amount of manufacturing effort to make advanced robotic parts as it does to manufacture a paperweight, that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/when-it-costs-you-the-same-amount-of-manufacturing-effort-to-make/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [We've seen computers play chess and beat grand masters. We've seen computers drive a car across a desert. But interestingly, playing chess is easy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/we-ve-seen-computers-play-chess-and-beat-grand-masters-we-ve-seen/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [If you're talking 100 years, there's no doubt in my mind that all jobs will be gone, including creative ones. And 100 years is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/if-you-re-talking-100-years-there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-all-jobs/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [The next episode of 3D printing will involve printing entirely new kinds of materials. Eventually we will print complete products - circuits, motors, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/the-next-episode-of-3d-printing-will-involve-printing-entirely-new/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [The moment somebody is making money off the recipes, that's when you'll see digital rights management around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/the-moment-somebody-is-making-money-off-the-recipes-that-s-when-you/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [I think, once recipes become digital, pirating a digital recipe and all the questions that you have with music and so forth will become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/i-think-once-recipes-become-digital-pirating-a-digital-recipe-and-all/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [Basically, any material you can squeeze, melt or generate into a powder, you can print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/basically-any-material-you-can-squeeze-melt-or-generate-into-a-powder/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [Worrying about how you're going to make something is a huge constraint - most people can't make anything at home because it's too expensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/worrying-about-how-you-re-going-to-make-something-is-a-huge/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [Similar to computer technology in the '60s, 3-D printing is a universal technology that has the potential to revolutionize our life by enabling individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/similar-to-computer-technology-in-the-60s-3-d-printing-is-a-universal/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [A hexagonal piece of cheese is a lot better than a square piece of cheese,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/a-hexagonal-piece-of-cheese-is-a-lot-better-than-a-square-piece-of/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) > [If you gave kids peas that didn’t look like peas and said they were a space shuttle, they’re much more apt to eat them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/if-you-gave-kids-peas-that-didn-t-look-like-peas-and-said-they-were-a/) [Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) [Explore all 16 Hod Lipson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/) ## More Away quotes > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [You just say the word, and I'll make the rest of the world go away. 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At the same time it is a very busy schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/we-all-have-time-away-from-football-to-get-our-head-down-at-the-same/) [Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/) > [If you take away the predators in the prairies and the national parks, you suddenly have an explosion of elk, and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/if-you-take-away-the-predators-in-the-prairies-and-the-national-parks/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“Please don't go away. You--you matter. To me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/please-don-t-go-away-you-you-matter-to-me/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [Our world is drowning in a sea of self-centeredness. You can make yourself quite unique right away by leaving this ocean of selfishness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/our-world-is-drowning-in-a-sea-of-self-centeredness-you-can-make/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) > [“Why is it," she asked, snuggling closer, "that I so often imagine myself running away and running free?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/why-is-it-she-asked-snuggling-closer-that-i-so-often-imagine-myself/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) [Browse all 4,933 Away quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only way to make something cheaply today is to have it mass-produced. For example, you wear the same shoes as everyone else. If you had a fabber, you could custom-make shoes that perfectly fit your feet. 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