Acquisition Quote by Robert Neelly Bellah
“That happiness is to be attained through limitless material acquisition is denied by every religion and philosophy known to mankind, but is preached incessantly by every American television set.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Religion and the American Dream, Robert Neelly Bellah, 1975
Religions reject materialism as a path to happiness, yet TV constantly promotes it.
In simple terms: Religion opposes material happiness, TV promotes it.
Key Takeaway
Question media messages about happiness.
Themes
materialism
media
religion
philosophy
Mood
critical
inquisitive
Type
cultural
philosophical
When to use this quote
- advertising
- personal finance
- spiritual practice
Key Concepts
Consumer culture
spiritual critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How does TV shape your view of happiness?
- Can you find happiness beyond material goods?
A Different Perspective
Media influence can be subtle.
![“We're [humans] running great risks of doing things that will not be good for us. The cost can be very high indeed if we reach the point where we can't adapt to our own increasingly rapid adaptations. We run the risk of early extinction. So this certainly isn't a triumphalist story, but it is…” quote by Robert Neelly Bellah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5d8/robert-neelly-bellah-25104_adaptation_we-re-humans-running-great-risks-of-doin_1819566.jpg)
![“No one suffers so much as he [the genius] with the people, and, therefore, for the people, with whom he lives. For, in a certain sense, it is certainly only "by suffering" that a man knows. If compassion is not itself clear, abstractly conceivable or visibly symbolic knowledge, it is, at any rate…” quote by Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bec/otto-weininger-11319_acquisition_no-one-suffers-so-much-as-he-the-genius_20597.jpg)
