--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We do this because a century and a half…" description: "\"“We do this because a century and a half ago we embraced business as the dominant model for our outer and inner lives. Ours is an ideology of achieved ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/492/scott-a-sandage-45283_bottom-line_we-do-this-because-a-century-and-a-half_848599.jpg" --- # We do this because a century and a half ago we embraced… ![“We do this because a century and a half ago we embraced business as the dominant model for our outer and inner lives. Ours is an ideology of achieved identity; obligatory striving is its method, and failure and success are its outcomes. We reckon our incomes once a year but audit ourselves daily…” quote by Scott A. Sandage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/492/scott-a-sandage-45283_bottom-line_we-do-this-because-a-century-and-a-half_848599.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/492/scott-a-sandage-45283_bottom-line_we-do-this-because-a-century-and-a-half_848599.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/492/scott-a-sandage-45283_bottom-line_we-do-this-because-a-century-and-a-half_848599.jpg) > ““We do this because a century and a half ago we embraced business as the dominant model for our outer and inner lives. Ours is an ideology of achieved identity; obligatory striving is its method, and failure and success are its outcomes. We reckon our incomes once a year but audit ourselves daily, by standards of long-forgotten origin. Who thinks of the old counting house when we "take stock" of how we "spend" our lives, take "credit" for our gains, or try not to end up "third rate" or "good for nothing"? Someday, we hope, "the bottom line" will show that we "amount to something." By this kind of talk we "balance" our whole lives, not just our accounts. Willy Loman speaks this way. Choosing suicide to launch his sons with insurance money, he asks, "Does it take more guts to stand here the rest of my life ringing up a zero?" He insists that a man is not a piece of fruit to be eaten and the peel discarded, but he does not see that a man is not a cash register.'°”” [Scott A. Sandage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-a-sandage/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques how modern society treats life as a business ledger, measuring worth by productivity and success, reducing human value to financial metrics. **In simple terms:** Life is treated like a business account, valuing people by output. Key Takeaway Recognize human worth beyond economic metrics. Themes materialism identity existentialism capitalism self-worth Mood reflective critical somber Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - career evaluation - personal relationships - mental health - financial planning - ethical decision making Key Concepts Ideology of achievement self-assessment societal pressure Questions to Reflect On - How do we value ourselves beyond productivity? - What alternatives exist to a purely economic self‑assessment? A Different Perspective It overlooks intrinsic values and emotional needs that cannot be quantified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bottom line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom-line/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Failure And Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-and-success-2/) ## Related quotes > [Willy Loman: I don't want change, I want Swiss cheese!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/willy-loman-i-don-t-want-change-i-want-swiss-cheese/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [My father was like Willy Loman, you know: he never really made it - and he was from a family where there were people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/my-father-was-like-willy-loman-you-know-he-never-really-made-it-and/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [“I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/i-am-not-a-dime-a-dozen-i-am-willy-loman-and-you-are-biff-loman/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [Donald Trump is a lost soul wandering this Earth. He's been led down the Willy Loman path and believes his own hype. He's serving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/donald-trump-is-a-lost-soul-wandering-this-earth-he-s-been-led-down/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [You don't have to be Willy Loman about it. But, "Airline food is crazy. Hey, what's with these rent-a-cars?" or you go up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/you-don-t-have-to-be-willy-loman-about-it-but-airline-food-is-crazy/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > ['Streetcar' is no longer about the moment at all. There is no Blanche DuBois anywhere; south, north, east or west. We don't have Blanche…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/streetcar-is-no-longer-about-the-moment-at-all-there-is-no-blanche/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [ I understand \[Willy Loman's\] longing for immortality Willy's writing his name in a cake of ice on a hot day, but he wishes he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/i-understand-willy-loman-s-longing-for-immortality-willy-s-writing/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [“HAPPY: All right, boy. I'm gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/happy-all-right-boy-i-m-gonna-show-you-and-everybody-else-that-willy/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [Over the years, I've learnt how to strike a balance between both my lives and give quality time to my passion as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malaika-arora-khan/over-the-years-i-ve-learnt-how-to-strike-a-balance-between-both-my/) [Malaika Arora Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malaika-arora-khan/) > [If we would have had clear brains to take a break, instead of breaking up, we would have left room for balance in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-caffey/if-we-would-have-had-clear-brains-to-take-a-break-instead-of-breaking/) [Charlotte Caffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-caffey/) > [People always ask us women about how we balance our lives. Rarely do they ever ask men this but we are asked this and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/people-always-ask-us-women-about-how-we-balance-our-lives-rarely-do/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [“Balance lives in the present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/balance-lives-in-the-present/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [The only way we can really achieve balance in our lives is to surround ourselves with incredible people who help us get that balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randi-zuckerberg/the-only-way-we-can-really-achieve-balance-in-our-lives-is-to/) [Randi Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randi-zuckerberg/) > [When I talk to people who feel this emptiness and lack of fulfillment, I recommend they find a source of balance in their lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/when-i-talk-to-people-who-feel-this-emptiness-and-lack-of-fulfillment/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [When we talk about women's struggle to balance their lives, certain men growl, 'If you can't stand the heat, get back to the kitchen.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/when-we-talk-about-women-s-struggle-to-balance-their-lives-certain/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) ## More by Scott A. Sandage > [“The age of the self-made man was also the age of the broken man... This ‘American sense’ looked upon failure as a ‘moral sieve’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-a-sandage/the-age-of-the-self-made-man-was-also-the-age-of-the-broken-man-this/) [Scott A. Sandage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-a-sandage/) > [“A century ago, in his 1905 classic work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber argued that striving for success is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-a-sandage/a-century-ago-in-his-1905-classic-work-the-protestant-ethic-and-the/) [Scott A. Sandage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-a-sandage/) > [“In early America, fear of failure loomed largest on Sunday. Monday morning dawned about the year i8oo. By then, "failure" meant an entrepreneurial fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-a-sandage/in-early-america-fear-of-failure-loomed-largest-on-sunday-monday/) [Scott A. Sandage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-a-sandage/) > [“I feel like a failure." The expression comes so naturally that we forget it is a figure of speech: the language of business applied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-a-sandage/i-feel-like-a-failure-the-expression-comes-so-naturally-that-we/) [Scott A. 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Sandage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-a-sandage/) > [“To call a man "a complete failure" tallied both the economics of capitalism and the economics of selfhood; that is, the external and internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-a-sandage/to-call-a-man-a-complete-failure-tallied-both-the-economics-of/) [Scott A. Sandage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-a-sandage/) [Explore all 9 Scott A. Sandage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-a-sandage/) ## More Bottom line quotes > [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [Cheer up. You're not going to be single forever. Bottom line is, you're young. Don't base your future on your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cheer-up-you-re-not-going-to-be-single-forever-bottom-line-is-you-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/) [John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/) > [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/) [Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/) > [The bottom line, in the professional level, no matter where you go, there's going to be competition. That's what it is. At the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/the-bottom-line-in-the-professional-level-no-matter-where-you-go/) [Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/) > [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/) [Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/) > [I'm very grateful to be where I'm at and be able to play. That's really the bottom line for me. Survival and being able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/i-m-very-grateful-to-be-where-i-m-at-and-be-able-to-play-that-s/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Bottom line is, work ethic equals dreams, and I am walking proof that that's a fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diamond-dallas-page/bottom-line-is-work-ethic-equals-dreams-and-i-am-walking-proof-that/) [Diamond Dallas Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diamond-dallas-page/) > [One of two things when the guy you're dating isn't really ready to commit. He's an a\*\*hole and he's cheating on you; bottom line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-catherwood/one-of-two-things-when-the-guy-you-re-dating-isn-t-really-ready-to/) Michael Catherwood > [The bottom line on attitude is that a good one helps to increase your possibilities. Pessimists usually get what they expect. So do optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/the-bottom-line-on-attitude-is-that-a-good-one-helps-to-increase-your/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [If you look at the statistics, I genuinely understand why when we go to a production company or a broadcaster, and they say our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joivan-wade/if-you-look-at-the-statistics-i-genuinely-understand-why-when-we-go/) [Joivan Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joivan-wade/) > [With a reality show, the bottom line is, there's no plot; there's no finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-gosselin/with-a-reality-show-the-bottom-line-is-there-s-no-plot-there-s-no/) [Kate Gosselin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-gosselin/) > [Two to 4% of cancers respond to chemotherapy…The bottom line is for a few kinds of cancer chemo is a life extending procedure-Hodgkin's disease,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-w-moss/two-to-4-of-cancers-respond-to-chemotherapy-the-bottom-line-is-for-a/) [Ralph W. Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-w-moss/) > [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Browse all 942 Bottom line quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom-line/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We do this because a century and a half ago we embraced business as the dominant model for our outer and inner lives. Ours is an ideology of achieved identity; obligatory striving is its method, and failure and success are its outcomes. We reckon our incomes once a year but audit ourselves daily, by standards of long-forgotten origin. 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