--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 100 years ago, buying something you could…" description: "\"100 years ago, buying something you could make was considered wasteful; now making something you could buy is considered wasteful. I am not convinced t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b2/stephanie-pearl-mcphee-8527_buying_100-years-ago-buying-something-you-could_1525814.png" --- # 100 years ago, buying something you could make was… ![“100 years ago, buying something you could make was considered wasteful; now making something you could buy is considered wasteful. I am not convinced this is a step in the right direction.” quote by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b2/stephanie-pearl-mcphee-8527_buying_100-years-ago-buying-something-you-could_1525814.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b2/stephanie-pearl-mcphee-8527_buying_100-years-ago-buying-something-you-could_1525814.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b2/stephanie-pearl-mcphee-8527_buying_100-years-ago-buying-something-you-could_1525814.png) > “100 years ago, buying something you could make was considered wasteful; now making something you could buy is considered wasteful. I am not convinced this is a step in the right direction.” [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) ## 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 contrasts past wastefulness of making versus modern wastefulness of buying, questioning progress. **In simple terms:** Making vs. buying wastefulness. Key Takeaway Consider the environmental impact of consumption choices. Themes consumerism sustainability technology Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - shopping habits - DIY projects - product design Key Concepts circular economy ethical design Questions to Reflect On - Is making always better? - What values guide your consumption? A Different Perspective Convenient buying can still harm the planet. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Considered Wasteful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/considered-wasteful-5649689/) [Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making/) [Right direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-direction/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Steps in the right direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps-in-the-right-direction/) [Wasteful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasteful/) [Wasteful Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasteful-convinced-5649690/) [Wasteful Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasteful-making-5649688/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [Don't try to rush progress. Remember -- a step forward, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction. Keep believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-goucher/don-t-try-to-rush-progress-remember-a-step-forward-no-matter-how/) [Kara Goucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-goucher/) > [What I firmly believe in is making positive steps in the right direction gradually and that way you move yourself into a healthy lifestyle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-wallace/what-i-firmly-believe-in-is-making-positive-steps-in-the-right/) [Gregg Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-wallace/) > [How do we appreciate the good without letting it be the enemy of the perfect? How do we keep a step in the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/how-do-we-appreciate-the-good-without-letting-it-be-the-enemy-of-the/) [Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/) > [“Small Steps In The Right Direction Lead To Lasting Change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-caren/small-steps-in-the-right-direction-lead-to-lasting-change/) [David A. Caren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-caren/) > [And a step backward, after making a wrong turn, is a step in the right direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-a-step-backward-after-making-a-wrong-turn-is-a-step-in-the-right/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Think of every step in a workout as a step in the right direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-bertinelli/think-of-every-step-in-a-workout-as-a-step-in-the-right-direction/) [Valerie Bertinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-bertinelli/) > [You can't expect insights, even the big ones, to make you suddenly understand everything. But I figure: Hey it's a step in the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/you-can-t-expect-insights-even-the-big-ones-to-make-you-suddenly/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [Privatizing bits of the prison industry was a step in the right direction, but what we didn't have - until recently - were proper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/privatizing-bits-of-the-prison-industry-was-a-step-in-the-right/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [Everybody who deals with the Gulf States will confirm to you that, in terms of developments regarding human rights and workers' rights, Qatar has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-heinz-rummenigge/everybody-who-deals-with-the-gulf-states-will-confirm-to-you-that-in/) [Karl-Heinz Rummenigge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-heinz-rummenigge/) > [Dialogue is good, America used to talk to Iraq all the time. Members of Congress don't have any special skill in weapons inspection. However,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/dialogue-is-good-america-used-to-talk-to-iraq-all-the-time-members-of/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [The energetic action of the times develops individualism, and the religious appear isolated. I esteem this a step in the right direction. Heaven deals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-energetic-action-of-the-times-develops-individualism-and-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [One step in the right direction is better than a hundred years of thinking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-harv-eker/one-step-in-the-right-direction-is-better-than-a-hundred-years-of/) [T. Harv Eker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-harv-eker/) > [Whether you want to exercise more often, or you're hoping to become debt-free, real change happens in stages. Slow and steady progress is great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-morin/whether-you-want-to-exercise-more-often-or-you-re-hoping-to-become/) [Amy Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-morin/) > [Every baby saved, every mother helped to choose life is a step in the right direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alveda-king/every-baby-saved-every-mother-helped-to-choose-life-is-a-step-in-the/) [Alveda King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alveda-king/) > [The denunciation of suffering by photography has replaced the religious justification of suffering in painting. Denunciation is a function of photojournalism, and in itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-delahaye/the-denunciation-of-suffering-by-photography-has-replaced-the/) [Luc Delahaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-delahaye/) ## More by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee > [I explain at the parties that I believe knitting is a transformative and intriguing act that can change the life and brain of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-explain-at-the-parties-that-i-believe-knitting-is-a-transformative/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [Knitters use knitting to value-add to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/knitters-use-knitting-to-value-add-to-the-world/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [In the nineteeth century, knitting was prescribed to women as a cure for nervousness and hysteria. Many new knitters find this sort of hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/in-the-nineteeth-century-knitting-was-prescribed-to-women-as-a-cure/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [Achieving the state of SABLE is not, as many people who live with these knitters believe, a reason to stop buying yarn, but for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/achieving-the-state-of-sable-is-not-as-many-people-who-live-with/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [I am a person who works well under pressure. In fact, I work so well under pressure that at times, I will procrastinate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-am-a-person-who-works-well-under-pressure-in-fact-i-work-so-well/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [The people who think I'm famous are knitters. Most of my life, I'm wildly unrecognized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/the-people-who-think-i-m-famous-are-knitters-most-of-my-life-i-m/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [“I make a habit of setting aside some time each evening to take out my knitting and work quietly on it, happily relaxing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-make-a-habit-of-setting-aside-some-time-each-evening-to-take-out-my/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [You know you knit too much when ... You will check out a book from the library just because you heard that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/you-know-you-knit-too-much-when-you-will-check-out-a-book-from-the/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [There are twice as many knitters as golfers in North America. Still, if you walk into any airport in North America, you can find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/there-are-twice-as-many-knitters-as-golfers-in-north-america-still-if/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [If you have time to knit, if you've taken up knitting, it means you're not worried about the essential stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/if-you-have-time-to-knit-if-you-ve-taken-up-knitting-it-means-you-re/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [It turns out I will buy any yarn, even yarn I will never use, if the store discounts it by more than 50 percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/it-turns-out-i-will-buy-any-yarn-even-yarn-i-will-never-use-if-the/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [A plain sock by itself is terribly boring, but it could score points by having a clever stitch pattern, or maybe by being made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/a-plain-sock-by-itself-is-terribly-boring-but-it-could-score-points/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [When confronted with a birthday in a week I will remember that a book can be a really good present, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/when-confronted-with-a-birthday-in-a-week-i-will-remember-that-a-book/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [“It turns out that I will buy any yarn, even yarn I will never use, if the store discounts it by more than 50%.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/it-turns-out-that-i-will-buy-any-yarn-even-yarn-i-will-never-use-if/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [You know you knit too much when ... You take knitting to a wedding, in case there's a little time before the bride comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/you-know-you-knit-too-much-when-you-take-knitting-to-a-wedding-in/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) [Explore all 80 Stephanie Pearl-McPhee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) ## More Buying quotes > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [I'm being called in by all the great casting directors. It's no longer based on a headshot. I realize now what they're buying is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-gonzalez/i-m-being-called-in-by-all-the-great-casting-directors-it-s-no-longer/) [Nicholas Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-gonzalez/) > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [There's a whole generation of women who never really heard the word investment before, when it came to fashion. They've been buying things because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/there-s-a-whole-generation-of-women-who-never-really-heard-the-word/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [I think buying a home is the best investment that any individual can make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paulson/i-think-buying-a-home-is-the-best-investment-that-any-individual-can/) [John Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paulson/) > [The more a prospective customer clicks on you and your stuff, the easier it is for them to make a buying decision in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/the-more-a-prospective-customer-clicks-on-you-and-your-stuff-the/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [“If you have half a nothing - sell it for a double something, resell half at double-price, and buy another something and a half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/if-you-have-half-a-nothing-sell-it-for-a-double-something-resell-half/) [Will Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-advise/) > [Every kid looks forward to buying their first JanSport backpack for school - you know my kids did!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-buteau/every-kid-looks-forward-to-buying-their-first-jansport-backpack-for/) [Michelle Buteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-buteau/) > [What is the focus of the new image infrastructure? Attention. It's all designed for capturing, tracking, quantifying, manipulating, holding, buying, selling and controlling attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-mau/what-is-the-focus-of-the-new-image-infrastructure-attention-it-s-all/) [Bruce Mau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-mau/) > [It’s always going to be easy to live like others or other’s life, because creating or innovating something of own is always difficult in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/it-s-always-going-to-be-easy-to-live-like-others-or-other-s-life/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [The truth is, if I was maybe better or funnier or prettier, wouldn't I have starred in a movie? I can see it objectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/the-truth-is-if-i-was-maybe-better-or-funnier-or-prettier-wouldn-t-i/) [Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/) [Browse all 1,598 Buying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "100 years ago, buying something you could make was considered wasteful; now making something you could buy is considered wasteful. 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