Attaining happiness Quote by Jacques Ellul
““The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries abandoned the idea of spiritual or intellectual happiness in order to have this material happiness, consisting of a certain number of essential consumer goods. And hence, in the nineteenth century, happiness was linked to a well-being obtained by mechanical means, industrial means, production. The new thing that Saint-Just spoke about was that, in the past, happiness could appear as a very vague, very distant prospect for humanity, whereas now, people seemed to be within reach of the concrete, material possibility of attaining it. That was why happiness was to become an absolutely essential image for the nineteenth-century bourgeoisie, and for modern society. Happiness was attainable thanks to industrial development, and this image of happiness brought us fully into the consumer society.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Technological Society, 1954
Industrial progress turned happiness into a material, consumer-driven goal, reshaping societal values.
In simple terms: Happiness became a consumer product.
Key Takeaway
Beware of equating happiness with material consumption.
Themes
consumerism
industrialization
philosophy
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
sociological
philosophical
When to use this quote
- marketing strategies
- policy making
- personal finance
- social critique
Key Concepts
sociology
economics
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does consumer culture shape our notion of happiness?
- What alternatives exist beyond material success?
A Different Perspective
Material focus can neglect deeper fulfillment.
