--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Therefore, the very large department…" description: "\"“Therefore, the very large department store should not be viewed as a sinful undertaking, as, for example, the Tower of Babel. It is, rather, proof of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/joseph-roth-14460_department-store_therefore-the-very-large-department-stor_2639653.jpg" --- # Therefore, the very large department store should not be… ![“Therefore, the very large department store should not be viewed as a sinful undertaking, as, for example, the Tower of Babel. It is, rather, proof of the inability of the human race of today to be extravagant. It even builds skyscrapers: and the consequence this time isn't a great flood, but just…” quote by Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/joseph-roth-14460_department-store_therefore-the-very-large-department-stor_2639653.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/joseph-roth-14460_department-store_therefore-the-very-large-department-stor_2639653.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/joseph-roth-14460_department-store_therefore-the-very-large-department-stor_2639653.jpg) > ““Therefore, the very large department store should not be viewed as a sinful undertaking, as, for example, the Tower of Babel. It is, rather, proof of the inability of the human race of today to be extravagant. It even builds skyscrapers: and the consequence this time isn't a great flood, but just a shop...”” [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Large department stores symbolize modern extravagance, not sin, contrasting biblical hubris with contemporary consumerism. **In simple terms:** Big stores show modern excess, not moral failure. Key Takeaway Recognize consumerism as a cultural symptom. Themes consumerism modernity culture excess symbolism Mood critical analytical Type sociological commentary When to use this quote - shopping malls - urban planning - economic analysis - cultural studies Key Concepts capitalism social critique urban development Questions to Reflect On - How does modern consumerism differ from ancient hubris? - Can retail be both beneficial and excessive? A Different Perspective May overlook positive economic impacts of retail. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Department store](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/department-store/) [Extravagant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extravagant/) [Extravagant Builds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extravagant-builds-2258638/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Large Department](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-department-2258639/) [Skyscrapers Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skyscrapers-consequence-2258637/) [Tower of babel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tower-of-babel/) ## Related quotes > [“Most centers offer a one-program-fits all type of service, which is rather like a department store that sells one-size fits all clothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/most-centers-offer-a-one-program-fits-all-type-of-service-which-is/) [Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/) > [California, the department-store state. The most of everything and the best of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/california-the-department-store-state-the-most-of-everything-and-the/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [The lady across the hall tried to rob a department store . . . with a pricing gun. She said, "Give me all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/the-lady-across-the-hall-tried-to-rob-a-department-store-with-a/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I worked at the cosmetic counter at a fine department store](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lita-ford/i-worked-at-the-cosmetic-counter-at-a-fine-department-store/) [Lita Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lita-ford/) > [I think if you ask people what their concept of heaven is, they would say, if they are honest, that it is a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/i-think-if-you-ask-people-what-their-concept-of-heaven-is-they-would/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“Rather than spending time with the snooty residents of Opal in the department store, she would now be spending time with criminals whose company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alane-mills/rather-than-spending-time-with-the-snooty-residents-of-opal-in-the/) [Alane Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alane-mills/) > [Chinese people, young people, they don't go shopping a lot in department stores. All department store guys hate me. They say business is bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/chinese-people-young-people-they-don-t-go-shopping-a-lot-in/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“A department store two days before Christmas Eve is like a city in a state of siege…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/a-department-store-two-days-before-christmas-eve-is-like-a-city-in-a/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [There's a lot of movies that aren't all about Christmas, or where Christmas isn't the focus, but have that spirit of Christmas in them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-osborne/there-s-a-lot-of-movies-that-aren-t-all-about-christmas-or-where/) [Robert Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-osborne/) > [I had 13 job offers out of college. I went to Bullock's department store and had a fantastic interview, but was skeptical. I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-j-lundgren/i-had-13-job-offers-out-of-college-i-went-to-bullock-s-department/) [Terry J. Lundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-j-lundgren/) > [I worked in fashion, but I worked more in the sales side of fashion than in design. I was an assistant buyer for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-atwood/i-worked-in-fashion-but-i-worked-more-in-the-sales-side-of-fashion/) [Colleen Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-atwood/) > [A great department store, easily reached, open at all hours, is more like a good museum of art than any of the museums we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-great-department-store-easily-reached-open-at-all-hours-is-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never saw a department store Santa as a kid. My mother was afraid to take me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-zwigoff/i-never-saw-a-department-store-santa-as-a-kid-my-mother-was-afraid-to/) [Terry Zwigoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-zwigoff/) > [I did a bunch of blue-collar jobs, because I knew I'd wind up with a white-collar job at some point, and I wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/i-did-a-bunch-of-blue-collar-jobs-because-i-knew-i-d-wind-up-with-a/) [Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/) > [I think having worked in a department store setting, if my life had not taken a drastically different turn when I became an actor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-think-having-worked-in-a-department-store-setting-if-my-life-had/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) ## More by Joseph Roth > [“Never yet has such furious movement brought in its train such slowness in the passage of time. Everything is spinning, only time stands still.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/never-yet-has-such-furious-movement-brought-in-its-train-such/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [“Above all there's a lack of personal discipline, manners, decorum, natural discretion. If everyone causes their own individual catastrophes, how can there fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/above-all-there-s-a-lack-of-personal-discipline-manners-decorum/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [“The good man believed that shortsighted people were also deaf and that their spectacles would become clearer if their ears heard more sharply.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/the-good-man-believed-that-shortsighted-people-were-also-deaf-and/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [A moving shadow means more to us than a body at rest. We are no longer taken in by a fixed grin. We know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/a-moving-shadow-means-more-to-us-than-a-body-at-rest-we-are-no-longer/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [“The world to come will be like this triangular railroad junction, raised to some unknown power. The earth has lived through several evolutionary stages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/the-world-to-come-will-be-like-this-triangular-railroad-junction/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [ “\[O\]ur relationship with nature has become warped. You see, nature has acquired a purpose where we are concerned. Its task is to amuse us.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/o-ur-relationship-with-nature-has-become-warped-you-see-nature-has/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [That is originally why the concept evolved to include accessories. We found that furniture sells better when you show it with accessories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/that-is-originally-why-the-concept-evolved-to-include-accessories-we/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [That was how things were back then. Anything that grew took its time growing, and anything that perished took a long time to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/that-was-how-things-were-back-then-anything-that-grew-took-its-time/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [“Somebody cracks a joke, a whole row laughs, one witticism sets off another, and, like matches, they flare up and burn down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/somebody-cracks-a-joke-a-whole-row-laughs-one-witticism-sets-off/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [“A skyscraper is the incarnate rebellion against the supposedly unattainable; against the mystery of altitude, against the otherworldliness of the cerulean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/a-skyscraper-is-the-incarnate-rebellion-against-the-supposedly/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [“Of course the merchandise appears to be cheaper. Because where there are so many things close together, they can hardly help not thinking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/of-course-the-merchandise-appears-to-be-cheaper-because-where-there/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [Although the noise of the chattering clientele is much more significant than the topics of their chatter, it does finally constitute that type of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/although-the-noise-of-the-chattering-clientele-is-much-more/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [“The weeping willows, on the other hand, are evocative of death. They are a little contrived, a little exaggerated, still green in the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/the-weeping-willows-on-the-other-hand-are-evocative-of-death-they-are/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [A lot of truths about the living world are recorded in bad books; they are just badly written about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/a-lot-of-truths-about-the-living-world-are-recorded-in-bad-books-they/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) > [“Because human nature will not deny its weaknesses, even where it is seemingly in the process of overcoming them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roth/because-human-nature-will-not-deny-its-weaknesses-even-where-it-is/) [Joseph Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) [Explore all 41 Joseph Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roth/) ## More Department store quotes > [“Most centers offer a one-program-fits all type of service, which is rather like a department store that sells one-size fits all clothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/most-centers-offer-a-one-program-fits-all-type-of-service-which-is/) [Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/) > [I did a bunch of blue-collar jobs, because I knew I'd wind up with a white-collar job at some point, and I wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/i-did-a-bunch-of-blue-collar-jobs-because-i-knew-i-d-wind-up-with-a/) [Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/) > [I never saw a department store Santa as a kid. My mother was afraid to take me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-zwigoff/i-never-saw-a-department-store-santa-as-a-kid-my-mother-was-afraid-to/) [Terry Zwigoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-zwigoff/) > [A great department store, easily reached, open at all hours, is more like a good museum of art than any of the museums we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-great-department-store-easily-reached-open-at-all-hours-is-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I worked in fashion, but I worked more in the sales side of fashion than in design. I was an assistant buyer for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-atwood/i-worked-in-fashion-but-i-worked-more-in-the-sales-side-of-fashion/) [Colleen Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-atwood/) > [I had 13 job offers out of college. I went to Bullock's department store and had a fantastic interview, but was skeptical. I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-j-lundgren/i-had-13-job-offers-out-of-college-i-went-to-bullock-s-department/) [Terry J. Lundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-j-lundgren/) > [There's a lot of movies that aren't all about Christmas, or where Christmas isn't the focus, but have that spirit of Christmas in them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-osborne/there-s-a-lot-of-movies-that-aren-t-all-about-christmas-or-where/) [Robert Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-osborne/) > [“A department store two days before Christmas Eve is like a city in a state of siege…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/a-department-store-two-days-before-christmas-eve-is-like-a-city-in-a/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [Chinese people, young people, they don't go shopping a lot in department stores. All department store guys hate me. They say business is bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/chinese-people-young-people-they-don-t-go-shopping-a-lot-in/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Rather than spending time with the snooty residents of Opal in the department store, she would now be spending time with criminals whose company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alane-mills/rather-than-spending-time-with-the-snooty-residents-of-opal-in-the/) [Alane Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alane-mills/) > [I think if you ask people what their concept of heaven is, they would say, if they are honest, that it is a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/i-think-if-you-ask-people-what-their-concept-of-heaven-is-they-would/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [I worked at the cosmetic counter at a fine department store](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lita-ford/i-worked-at-the-cosmetic-counter-at-a-fine-department-store/) [Lita Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lita-ford/) > [The lady across the hall tried to rob a department store . . . with a pricing gun. She said, "Give me all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/the-lady-across-the-hall-tried-to-rob-a-department-store-with-a/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [California, the department-store state. The most of everything and the best of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/california-the-department-store-state-the-most-of-everything-and-the/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [I think having worked in a department store setting, if my life had not taken a drastically different turn when I became an actor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-think-having-worked-in-a-department-store-setting-if-my-life-had/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) [Browse all 31 Department store quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/department-store/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Therefore, the very large department store should not be viewed as a sinful undertaking, as, for example, the Tower of Babel. It is, rather, proof of the inability of the human race of today to be extravagant. 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