--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Capitalism rules worldwide, and a society…" description: "\"Capitalism rules worldwide, and a society whose economic fabric depends on constant growth requires that its citizens have ever-expanding needs and wan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ae/philip-yancey-840_aquifers_capitalism-rules-worldwide-and-a-society_751821.png" --- # Capitalism rules worldwide, and a society whose economic… ![“Capitalism rules worldwide, and a society whose economic fabric depends on constant growth requires that its citizens have ever-expanding needs and wants... In the West, it will take one with soul force equal to Gandhi's to change the prevailing dogma of ever increasing GNP. We may be forced to…” quote by Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ae/philip-yancey-840_aquifers_capitalism-rules-worldwide-and-a-society_751821.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ae/philip-yancey-840_aquifers_capitalism-rules-worldwide-and-a-society_751821.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ae/philip-yancey-840_aquifers_capitalism-rules-worldwide-and-a-society_751821.png) > “Capitalism rules worldwide, and a society whose economic fabric depends on constant growth requires that its citizens have ever-expanding needs and wants... In the West, it will take one with soul force equal to Gandhi's to change the prevailing dogma of ever increasing GNP. We may be forced to change our profligate ways some day, when the soil is depleted, the aquifers drained, the icecaps melted, and all the oil wells pumped dry. But the crisis will wait another fifty years or so; we'll leave those problems to a generation yet unborn.” [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unrestrained growth fuels endless consumer desire, risking ecological collapse unless values shift. **In simple terms:** Growth drives endless wants, threatening the planet. Key Takeaway Adopt sustainable, mindful consumption. Themes environment economics ethics future sustainability Mood concerned urgent Type analytical call to action When to use this quote - policy making - personal lifestyle - education - activism Key Concepts consumerism resource depletion climate change intergenerational justice Questions to Reflect On - What can individuals realistically do to reduce consumption? - How can societies incentivize sustainable growth? A Different Perspective Economic systems resist change due to entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aquifers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aquifers/) [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Capitalism Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism-rules-2155676/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Constant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constant/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Drained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drained/) [Dry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dry/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Expanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expanding/) [Expanding Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expanding-needs-2459827/) [Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabric/) [Fifty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifty/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Generation y](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-y/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Gnp Forced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gnp-forced-5847795/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Growth Requires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth-requires-1356408/) [Increasing Gnp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increasing-gnp-5847796/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Needs and wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs-and-wants/) [Oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oil/) [Prevailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prevailing/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Soil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soil/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Soul force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-force/) [Sustainability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sustainability/) [Unborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unborn/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“Needs? I guess that is what bothers so many folks. They keep expanding their needs until they are dependent on too many things and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-proenneke/needs-i-guess-that-is-what-bothers-so-many-folks-they-keep-expanding/) [Richard Proenneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-proenneke/) > [“Honey, it isn’t democracy that runs this country. Capitalism rules. It does no good to reason with the capitalists or their politicians. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/honey-it-isn-t-democracy-that-runs-this-country-capitalism-rules-it/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [“Growth requires reinvestment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aswath-damodaran/growth-requires-reinvestment/) [Aswath Damodaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aswath-damodaran/) > [“Growth requires courage, strength and the willingness to go beyond fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/growth-requires-courage-strength-and-the-willingness-to-go-beyond-fear/) [Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/) > [We often forget that growth requires sacrifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/we-often-forget-that-growth-requires-sacrifice/) [Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/) > [Growth requires risk-taking. If you want to dampen risk and make sure you never have a problem, you do so, but that also will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-blankfein/growth-requires-risk-taking-if-you-want-to-dampen-risk-and-make-sure/) [Lloyd Blankfein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-blankfein/) > [Any growth requires a temporary loss of security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-hunter/any-growth-requires-a-temporary-loss-of-security/) [Madeline Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-hunter/) > [“Growth requires courage, risk and the willingness to go beyond fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/growth-requires-courage-risk-and-the-willingness-to-go-beyond-fear/) [Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/) > [growth requires purposeful division. Responsible dissent is the essence of democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-mccarthy/growth-requires-purposeful-division-responsible-dissent-is-the/) [Abigail McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-mccarthy/) > [The people who help us grow toward true self offer unconditional love, neither judging us to be deficient nor trying to force us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/the-people-who-help-us-grow-toward-true-self-offer-unconditional-love/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Continuing economic growth requires both recruitment of new companies and expansion of existing businesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-bredesen/continuing-economic-growth-requires-both-recruitment-of-new-companies/) [Phil Bredesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-bredesen/) > [Spiritual growth requires the development of inner knowing and inner authority. It requires the heart, not the intellect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/spiritual-growth-requires-the-development-of-inner-knowing-and-inner/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Growth requires facing where you're at so you can go to the NEXT LEVEL](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/growth-requires-facing-where-you-re-at-so-you-can-go-to-the-next-level/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [ The aquifer \[is\] the water table people need to keep secure. Nature has this incredible system of water purification under the ground. Ground water… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/the-aquifer-is-the-water-table-people-need-to-keep-secure-nature-has/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [... in a history of spiritual rupture, a social compact built on fantasy and collective secrets, poetry becomes more necessary than ever: it keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/in-a-history-of-spiritual-rupture-a-social-compact-built-on-fantasy/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) ## More by Philip Yancey > [“God reproduces and lives out His image in millions of ordinary people like us. It is a supreme mystery. We are called to bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/god-reproduces-and-lives-out-his-image-in-millions-of-ordinary-people/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Love deems this world worth rescuing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/love-deems-this-world-worth-rescuing/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [People instinctively know the difference between something done with a profit motive and something done with a love motive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/people-instinctively-know-the-difference-between-something-done-with/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [In a nutshell, the Bible from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22 tells the story of a God reckless with desire to get his family back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/in-a-nutshell-the-bible-from-genesis-3-to-revelation-22-tells-the/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/you-can-know-the-law-by-heart-without-knowing-the-heart-of-it/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“I have marveled at, and sometimes openly questioned, the self-restraint God has shown throughout history, allowing the Genghis Khans and the Hitlers and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-have-marveled-at-and-sometimes-openly-questioned-the-self-restraint/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [C. S. Lewis observed that almost all crimes of Christian history have come about when religion is confused with politics. Politics, which always runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/c-s-lewis-observed-that-almost-all-crimes-of-christian-history-have/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Having spent time around "sinners" and also around purported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/having-spent-time-around-sinners-and-also-around-purported-saints-i/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [We preach sermons, write books on apologetics, conduct city-wide evangelistic campaigns. For those alienated from the church, that approach no longer has the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-preach-sermons-write-books-on-apologetics-conduct-city-wide/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [I begin with confession not in order to feel miserable, rather to call to mind a reality I often ignore. When I acknowledge where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-begin-with-confession-not-in-order-to-feel-miserable-rather-to-call/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus reserved his hardest words for the hidden sins of hypocrisy, pride, greed and legalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-reserved-his-hardest-words-for-the-hidden-sins-of-hypocrisy/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“What greater gift could Christians give to the world than the forming of a culture that upholds grace and forgiveness?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/what-greater-gift-could-christians-give-to-the-world-than-the-forming/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/for-us-who-are-christians-the-death-and-resurrection-of-jesus-christ/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) [Explore all 351 Philip Yancey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## More Aquifers quotes > [... in a history of spiritual rupture, a social compact built on fantasy and collective secrets, poetry becomes more necessary than ever: it keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/in-a-history-of-spiritual-rupture-a-social-compact-built-on-fantasy/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [ The aquifer \[is\] the water table people need to keep secure. Nature has this incredible system of water purification under the ground. Ground water… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/the-aquifer-is-the-water-table-people-need-to-keep-secure-nature-has/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [There have been over a million wells hydraulically fractured in the history of the industry, and there is not one, not one, reported case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-w-tillerson/there-have-been-over-a-million-wells-hydraulically-fractured-in-the/) [Rex W. Tillerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-w-tillerson/) > [Today, our incentives aren't set up well - you can make a lot of money burning fossil fuels, digging up wetlands, pumping fossil water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/today-our-incentives-aren-t-set-up-well-you-can-make-a-lot-of-money/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [Our early 21st century civilization is in trouble. We need not go beyond the world food economy to see this. Over the last few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/our-early-21st-century-civilization-is-in-trouble-we-need-not-go/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [It takes 1,000 tons of water to produce 1 ton of grain. As water becomes scarce and countries are forced to divert irrigation water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/it-takes-1-000-tons-of-water-to-produce-1-ton-of-grain-as-water/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [Just as with other great words, the word environment means different things. You might say that a cave woman twenty thousand years ago sweeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/just-as-with-other-great-words-the-word-environment-means-different/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [We must keep these waters for wild rice, these trees for maple syrup, our lakes for fish, and our land and aquifers for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-laduke/we-must-keep-these-waters-for-wild-rice-these-trees-for-maple-syrup/) [Winona LaDuke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-laduke/) > [I look at it this way... For centuries now, man has done everything he can to destroy, defile, and interfere with nature: clear-cutting forests,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-look-at-it-this-way-for-centuries-now-man-has-done-everything-he/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [From the industry's point of view, the problem is not that coal companies blast the top off mountains, turning the area into a moonscape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/from-the-industry-s-point-of-view-the-problem-is-not-that-coal/) [Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/) > [I fracked over 3,000 wells in my life and never had a problem with an aquifer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-boone-pickens/i-fracked-over-3-000-wells-in-my-life-and-never-had-a-problem-with-an/) [T. Boone Pickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-boone-pickens/) > [What people don't understand is like when water gets polluted, it's an entire aquifer. There's a whole fascinating world that exists underneath our feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brockovich/what-people-don-t-understand-is-like-when-water-gets-polluted-it-s-an/) [Erin Brockovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brockovich/) [Browse all 13 Aquifers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aquifers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Capitalism rules worldwide, and a society whose economic fabric depends on constant growth requires that its citizens have ever-expanding needs and wants... In the West, it will take one with soul force equal to Gandhi's to change the prevailing dogma of ever increasing GNP. We may be forced to change our profligate ways some day, when the soil is depleted, the aquifers drained, the icecaps melted, and all the oil wells pumped dry. 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