---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in a disposable society. It's…"
description: "\"We live in a disposable society. It's easier to throw things out than to fix them. We even give it a name - we call it recycling.\" — Neil LaBute"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/neil-labute-12335_disposable_we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-eas_1623836.jpg"
---

#  We live in a disposable society. It's easier to throw…

![“We live in a disposable society. It's easier to throw things out than to fix them. We even give it a name - we call it recycling.” quote by Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/neil-labute-12335_disposable_we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-eas_1623836.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/neil-labute-12335_disposable_we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-eas_1623836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/neil-labute-12335_disposable_we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-eas_1623836.jpg)

> “We live in a disposable society. It's easier to throw things out than to fix them. We even give it a name - we call it recycling.”

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Society favors disposability over repair, masking true recycling as a label.

**In simple terms:** We discard instead of fixing.

Key Takeaway

Promote repair over disposal.

Themes

consumerism environment sustainability

Mood

concerned pragmatic

Type

activist educational

When to use this quote

- home repairs
- electronics
- clothing
- community workshops

Key Concepts

circular economy behavioral change

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you extend product life?
- What incentives would encourage repair?

A Different Perspective

Economic pressures often drive disposability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Disposable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disposable/) [Disposable Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disposable-society-309042/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Fix Recycling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fix-recycling-309043/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Live Disposable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-disposable-309044/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Recycling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recycling/)

## Related quotes

> [We live in a disposable society. We throw so much away. But it doesn't come from nowhere. It comes from the planet and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-butterfly-hill/we-live-in-a-disposable-society-we-throw-so-much-away-but-it-doesn-t/)

[Julia Butterfly Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-butterfly-hill/)

> [There's something very environmental about quality. We live in such a disposable society, but real style doesn't change that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-rogers/there-s-something-very-environmental-about-quality-we-live-in-such-a/)

[Elizabeth Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-rogers/)

> [“A disposable society is only fit for disposable people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/a-disposable-society-is-only-fit-for-disposable-people/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [Going green doesn’t start with doing green acts - it starts with a shift in consciousness. This shift allows you to recognize that with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-somerhalder/going-green-doesn-t-start-with-doing-green-acts-it-starts-with-a/)

[Ian Somerhalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-somerhalder/)

> [The next step after cheap is free, and after free is disposable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/the-next-step-after-cheap-is-free-and-after-free-is-disposable/)

[Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/)

> [The first time I had disposable income, the two things I cared most about were a television and a couch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-meyers/the-first-time-i-had-disposable-income-the-two-things-i-cared-most/)

[Seth Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-meyers/)

> [Nowadays music is as disposable as a McDonald's wrapper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-beck/nowadays-music-is-as-disposable-as-a-mcdonald-s-wrapper/)

[Jeff Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-beck/)

> [Theories are just disposable tools in the production of knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-castells/theories-are-just-disposable-tools-in-the-production-of-knowledge/)

[Manuel Castells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-castells/)

> [With the Internet, bands can come and go every five minutes and the music looks disposable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-dickinson/with-the-internet-bands-can-come-and-go-every-five-minutes-and-the/)

[Bruce Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-dickinson/)

> [I'm an actor for hire. It's important not to forget that you're disposable…When you have that mentality, you fight for the jobs you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-johansson/i-m-an-actor-for-hire-it-s-important-not-to-forget-that-you-re/)

[Scarlett Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-johansson/)

> [Well, it's not really the right word, but freedom is kind of a hobby with me, and I have disposable income that I'll spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/well-it-s-not-really-the-right-word-but-freedom-is-kind-of-a-hobby/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Like the panic stricken populace of 'The War of the Worlds' and countless other 1950s invasion movies, the victims are there to provide the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-tudor/like-the-panic-stricken-populace-of-the-war-of-the-worlds-and/)

[Andrew Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-tudor/)

> [I'm a complete addict of The 'X Factor,' so I can see why everyone gets so inspired. But there's a downside to celebrity: your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/i-m-a-complete-addict-of-the-x-factor-so-i-can-see-why-everyone-gets/)

[Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/)

> [Dick Clark was a really great influence in my career; he helped me a lot with his whole organization, and they were awesome to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyndi-lauper/dick-clark-was-a-really-great-influence-in-my-career-he-helped-me-a/)

[Cyndi Lauper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyndi-lauper/)

> [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

## More by Neil LaBute

> [But even with a character like Cary who is relatively outlandish, at the end of the movie he's in a place where I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/but-even-with-a-character-like-cary-who-is-relatively-outlandish-at/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [And I've got some screenplays and plays ready to dip into when I need to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/and-i-ve-got-some-screenplays-and-plays-ready-to-dip-into-when-i-need/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [I think Christine and Chad are on the opposite extremes of the spectrum. Christine is a model victim, and Chad is a model perpetrator,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/i-think-christine-and-chad-are-on-the-opposite-extremes-of-the/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [Everyone has a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/everyone-has-a-story/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [First I would probably place men at the bottom of the food chain. On a grander scale, I would say they're reacting to change.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/first-i-would-probably-place-men-at-the-bottom-of-the-food-chain-on-a/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [People have perhaps gotten to the point where for the most part movies are a just bit of escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/people-have-perhaps-gotten-to-the-point-where-for-the-most-part/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [I would be more frightened as a writer if people thought my movies were like science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/i-would-be-more-frightened-as-a-writer-if-people-thought-my-movies/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [I felt, if I'm going to take on some of the most overdone material, which is men and women and affairs and betrayal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/i-felt-if-i-m-going-to-take-on-some-of-the-most-overdone-material/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [I was always looking for the most dramatic emphasis. One example would be the letter writing, or the reading of the letters. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/i-was-always-looking-for-the-most-dramatic-emphasis-one-example-would/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [Relationships in general make people a bit nervous. It's about trust. Do I trust you enough to go there?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/relationships-in-general-make-people-a-bit-nervous-it-s-about-trust/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [If we put the camera on ourselves, our friends and neighbors, we'll come up with some scary stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/if-we-put-the-camera-on-ourselves-our-friends-and-neighbors-we-ll/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [I wanted to tell a story that interested me as much in the telling as in the watching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/i-wanted-to-tell-a-story-that-interested-me-as-much-in-the-telling-as/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [Sitting in an automobile was where I first remember understanding how drama works ... Hidden in the back seat of a sedan, I quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/sitting-in-an-automobile-was-where-i-first-remember-understanding-how/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [“Maybe that's what Hell is, in the end. All of your wrongful shit played out there in front of you while you're being pumped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/maybe-that-s-what-hell-is-in-the-end-all-of-your-wrongful-shit-played/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

> [“MAN No doubt about that—I can’t even call ’em “girls” without getting hit by a lawsuit, so … (Grins.) You’re a librarian? WOMAN Yeah.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/man-no-doubt-about-that-i-can-t-even-call-em-girls-without-getting/)

[Neil LaBute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

[Explore all 55 Neil LaBute quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/)

## More Disposable quotes

> [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Dick Clark was a really great influence in my career; he helped me a lot with his whole organization, and they were awesome to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyndi-lauper/dick-clark-was-a-really-great-influence-in-my-career-he-helped-me-a/)

[Cyndi Lauper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyndi-lauper/)

> [I'm a complete addict of The 'X Factor,' so I can see why everyone gets so inspired. But there's a downside to celebrity: your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/i-m-a-complete-addict-of-the-x-factor-so-i-can-see-why-everyone-gets/)

[Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/)

> [Like the panic stricken populace of 'The War of the Worlds' and countless other 1950s invasion movies, the victims are there to provide the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-tudor/like-the-panic-stricken-populace-of-the-war-of-the-worlds-and/)

[Andrew Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-tudor/)

> [Well, it's not really the right word, but freedom is kind of a hobby with me, and I have disposable income that I'll spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/well-it-s-not-really-the-right-word-but-freedom-is-kind-of-a-hobby/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [I'm an actor for hire. It's important not to forget that you're disposable…When you have that mentality, you fight for the jobs you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-johansson/i-m-an-actor-for-hire-it-s-important-not-to-forget-that-you-re/)

[Scarlett Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-johansson/)

> [With the Internet, bands can come and go every five minutes and the music looks disposable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-dickinson/with-the-internet-bands-can-come-and-go-every-five-minutes-and-the/)

[Bruce Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-dickinson/)

> [Theories are just disposable tools in the production of knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-castells/theories-are-just-disposable-tools-in-the-production-of-knowledge/)

[Manuel Castells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-castells/)

> [Nowadays music is as disposable as a McDonald's wrapper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-beck/nowadays-music-is-as-disposable-as-a-mcdonald-s-wrapper/)

[Jeff Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-beck/)

> [The first time I had disposable income, the two things I cared most about were a television and a couch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-meyers/the-first-time-i-had-disposable-income-the-two-things-i-cared-most/)

[Seth Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-meyers/)

> [The next step after cheap is free, and after free is disposable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/the-next-step-after-cheap-is-free-and-after-free-is-disposable/)

[Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/)

> [There is no worse material poverty than one that does not allow for earning one’s bread and deprives one of the dignity of work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/there-is-no-worse-material-poverty-than-one-that-does-not-allow-for/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [When animals do something noble we say they are behaving ‘like humans’. When humans do something disgusting we say they are behaving ‘like animals’.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wollen/when-animals-do-something-noble-we-say-they-are-behaving-like-humans/)

[Philip Wollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wollen/)

> [I feel sorry for these kids in bands. Everything is so disposable nowadays. These kids don't even get 15 minutes of fame, it's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zakk-wylde/i-feel-sorry-for-these-kids-in-bands-everything-is-so-disposable/)

[Zakk Wylde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zakk-wylde/)

> [If the labourer consumes his disposable time for himself, he robs the capitalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/if-the-labourer-consumes-his-disposable-time-for-himself-he-robs-the/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

[Browse all 164 Disposable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disposable/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We live in a disposable society. It's easier to throw things out than to fix them. We even give it a name - we call it recycling.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neil LaBute"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-easier-to-throw-things-out-than/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Disposable"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-easier-to-throw-things-out-than/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/neil-labute-12335_disposable_we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-eas_1623836.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/neil-labute-12335_disposable_we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-eas_1623836.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/neil-labute-12335_disposable_we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-eas_1623836.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We live in a disposable society. It's easier to throw things out than to fix them. We even give it a name…” — Neil LaBute",
                "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": "Neil LaBute",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-labute/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We live in a disposable society....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-easier-to-throw-things-out-than/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-labute/we-live-in-a-disposable-society-it-s-easier-to-throw-things-out-than/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
