--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How is it that we have created an…" description: "\"How is it that we have created an economic system that tells us it is cheaper to destroy the earth and exhaust its people than to nurture them both? Is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/paul-hawken-3831_cheaper_how-is-it-that-we-have-created-an-econom_2648859.jpg" --- # How is it that we have created an economic system that… ![“How is it that we have created an economic system that tells us it is cheaper to destroy the earth and exhaust its people than to nurture them both? Is it rational to have an pricing system which discounts the future and sells off the past? How did we create an economic system that confused…” quote by Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/paul-hawken-3831_cheaper_how-is-it-that-we-have-created-an-econom_2648859.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/paul-hawken-3831_cheaper_how-is-it-that-we-have-created-an-econom_2648859.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/230/paul-hawken-3831_cheaper_how-is-it-that-we-have-created-an-econom_2648859.jpg) > “How is it that we have created an economic system that tells us it is cheaper to destroy the earth and exhaust its people than to nurture them both? Is it rational to have an pricing system which discounts the future and sells off the past? How did we create an economic system that confused capital liquidation with income?” [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our economic model prioritizes short‑term profit over long‑term planetary health. **In simple terms:** Economy harms Earth. Key Takeaway Shift to sustainable, future‑oriented economics. Themes environment economics future Mood concerned urgent Type activist analytical When to use this quote - policy making - business strategy - personal consumption Key Concepts systems thinking ecology Questions to Reflect On - What incentives can realign profit with sustainability? - How can individuals influence systemic change? A Different Perspective Changing systems is complex and slow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheaper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheaper/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Confused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confused/) [Create Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-economic-1554667/) [Created Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/created-economic-2333144/) [Discounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discounts/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Economic Confused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-confused-2333145/) [Economic system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-system/) [Economic systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-systems/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nurture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nurture/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pricing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pricing/) [Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational/) [Rational Pricing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational-pricing-2333146/) [Sells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sells/) ## Related quotes > [I will not let anyone tell me we must spend more money. This crisis did not come about because we issued too little money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/i-will-not-let-anyone-tell-me-we-must-spend-more-money-this-crisis/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [“It is unquestionably true that the need for art is not created by economic conditions. But neither is the need for food created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/it-is-unquestionably-true-that-the-need-for-art-is-not-created-by/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [I started my career as a sales guy in the nineties, when the funnel was controlled by the sales rep, who had all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-halligan/i-started-my-career-as-a-sales-guy-in-the-nineties-when-the-funnel/) [Brian Halligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-halligan/) > [But only 'rich' people by definition have the 'extra' money to buy things and invest to create economic growth. Do we really want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-savage/but-only-rich-people-by-definition-have-the-extra-money-to-buy-things/) [Terry Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-savage/) > [There are many ways to create economic suicide on a national level. The major way through history has been through indebting the economy. Debt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/there-are-many-ways-to-create-economic-suicide-on-a-national-level/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [With patience, persistence, and partnership, we can create economic opportunity for every person willing to work hard for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perez/with-patience-persistence-and-partnership-we-can-create-economic/) [Tom Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perez/) > [I want to create economic opportunity at home and abroad. I don't want just one or the other. I want both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-to-create-economic-opportunity-at-home-and-abroad-i-don-t-want/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe we have made a decision now that will permit us to create an economic order in the world that will promote more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-believe-we-have-made-a-decision-now-that-will-permit-us-to-create/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [I will create an economic machine the likes of which we haven't seen in many decades. And people, will again go back to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-will-create-an-economic-machine-the-likes-of-which-we-haven-t-seen/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Those who advocate more and more government regulation have been experimenting for 40 years, trying to create an economic system in which everyone can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/those-who-advocate-more-and-more-government-regulation-have-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Since man does not create physical matter, those who handle material objects in the production process are not producers in that sense. Economic benefits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/since-man-does-not-create-physical-matter-those-who-handle-material/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [We can't have all the concentration of wealth in a few places in this country. We've got to create economic opportunity and new industries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ro-khanna/we-can-t-have-all-the-concentration-of-wealth-in-a-few-places-in-this/) [Ro Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ro-khanna/) > [The United States can no longer rely upon foreign nations such as China to bail us out of our economic irresponsibility. We must live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/the-united-states-can-no-longer-rely-upon-foreign-nations-such-as/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ We must create a \[economic\] crisis in order to ensure that there is no alternative to a smaller government. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/we-must-create-a-economic-crisis-in-order-to-ensure-that-there-is-no/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [It's time to create an Economic Growth Code whose purpose is to fix and grow the economy, not redistribute massive amounts of wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-fleischer/it-s-time-to-create-an-economic-growth-code-whose-purpose-is-to-fix/) [Ari Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-fleischer/) ## More by Paul Hawken > [Information from destructive activities going back a hundred years right up until today is being incorporated into the system. And as that happens the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/information-from-destructive-activities-going-back-a-hundred-years/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [When the planes still swoop down and aerial spray a field in order to kill a predator insect with pesticides, we are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/when-the-planes-still-swoop-down-and-aerial-spray-a-field-in-order-to/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [The great thing about the dilemma we're in is that we get to re-imagine every single thing we do...There isn't a single thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/the-great-thing-about-the-dilemma-we-re-in-is-that-we-get-to-re/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Luck is earned. Luck is working so hard at your craft, service or enterprise that sooner or later you get a break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/luck-is-earned-luck-is-working-so-hard-at-your-craft-service-or/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Healing the wounds of the earth and its people does not require saintliness or a political party, only gumption and persistence. 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If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/if-you-look-at-the-science-that-describes-what-is-happening-on-earth/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [All is connected ... no one thing can change by itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/all-is-connected-no-one-thing-can-change-by-itself/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [We can no longer prosper by increasing human productivity. The more we try to do, the more poverty we will create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/we-can-no-longer-prosper-by-increasing-human-productivity-the-more-we/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Throughout the industrial era, economists considered manufactured capital - money, factories, etc. - the principal factor in industrial production, and perceived natural capital as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/throughout-the-industrial-era-economists-considered-manufactured/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [his planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/his-planet-came-with-a-set-of-instructions-but-we-seem-to-have/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Sustainability, ensuring the future of life on Earth, is an infinite game, the endless expression of generosity on behalf of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/sustainability-ensuring-the-future-of-life-on-earth-is-an-infinite/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) [Explore all 121 Paul Hawken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) ## More Cheaper quotes > [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If you're angry, you don't have to write a poem dealing with the cause of your anger. But it needs to be an angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/if-you-re-angry-you-don-t-have-to-write-a-poem-dealing-with-the-cause/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [For many oppositional movements, the Internet, while providing the opportunity to distribute information more quickly and cheaper, may have actually made their struggle more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/for-many-oppositional-movements-the-internet-while-providing-the/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [ We have the ability to take him \[President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez\] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/we-have-the-ability-to-take-him-president-of-venezuela-hugo-chavez/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [The smaller & cheaper the pleasure, ¦the more richer you are!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biman-gandhi/the-smaller-cheaper-the-pleasure-the-more-richer-you-are/) [Biman Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biman-gandhi/) > [I don't really pay too much attention to designers, I know what I like and I just try to find it, and I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-cosentino/i-don-t-really-pay-too-much-attention-to-designers-i-know-what-i-like/) [Bethany Cosentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-cosentino/) > [There's a myth that free-to-play is cheaper than a $60 game. It's just elastic. For some users, it winds up being a lot more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-lasky/there-s-a-myth-that-free-to-play-is-cheaper-than-a-60-game-it-s-just/) [Mitch Lasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-lasky/) > [I have a constant kind of soundtrack going on at all times. I almost always have a song in my head. I'm very musically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-davie/i-have-a-constant-kind-of-soundtrack-going-on-at-all-times-i-almost/) [Erin Davie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-davie/) > [ \[On President Bush's plan to get to Mars in 10 years\] Stupid. Robots would do a better job and be much cheaper because you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/on-president-bush-s-plan-to-get-to-mars-in-10-years-stupid-robots/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I thought to spend my declining years writing poetry and teaching - but that won't pay the Bergdorf's bill. I think I'll move to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-thought-to-spend-my-declining-years-writing-poetry-and-teaching-but/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [You don't make houses cheaper by making them more expensive to build.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-baillieu/you-don-t-make-houses-cheaper-by-making-them-more-expensive-to-build/) [Ted Baillieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-baillieu/) > [I buy my produce at the local farmer's market, which is actually cheaper than shopping at the grocery store.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-getty/i-buy-my-produce-at-the-local-farmer-s-market-which-is-actually/) [Anna Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-getty/) > [We've begun to long for the pitter-patter of little feet - so we bought a dog. 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If it's already being done, now you need to find out if you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-johnson/try-to-find-if-something-out-there-is-similar-if-it-s-already-being/) [Cameron Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-johnson/) [Browse all 411 Cheaper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheaper/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How is it that we have created an economic system that tells us it is cheaper to destroy the earth and exhaust its people than to nurture them both? Is it rational to have an pricing system which discounts the future and sells off the past? 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