Consumerism Quote by Susan Freinkel
““If you can't reuse or repair an item, do you ever really own it? Do you ever really own it? Do you ever develop the sense of pride and proprietorship that comes from maintaining an object in fine working order? We invest something of ourselves in our material world, which in turn reflects who we are. In the era of disposability that plastic has helped us foster, we have increasingly invested ourselves in objects that have no real meaning in our lives. We think of disposable lighters as conveniences -- which they indisputably are; ask any smoker or backyard-barbecue chef -- and yet we don't think much about the tradeoffs that that convenience entails.””
About This Quote
The quote questions how ownership is tied to the ability to maintain and repair items, and how disposable culture erodes personal connection to objects.
In simple terms: Ownership requires care and repair; disposability weakens that bond.
Key Takeaway
Value and repair what you own.
Themes
ownership
material culture
environment
consumerism
identity
Mood
thoughtful
critical
reflective
Type
philosophical
environmental
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- consumer choices
- design philosophy
Key Concepts
sustainability
meaning
pride
attachment
Questions to Reflect On
- How does repairing an object change your relationship to it?
- What are the hidden costs of disposable items?
A Different Perspective
Convenience can hide long‑term costs and environmental impact.
![“Plastic should be a high value material... [It] should be in products that last a long time, and at the end of the life, you recycle it. To take oil or natural gas that took millions of years to produce and then to make a disposable product that last minutes or seconds, and then to just discard…” quote by Susan Freinkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/900/susan-freinkel-56102_life_plastic-should-be-a-high-value-material_883733.jpg)
![“An editorial in the Los Angeles Times [1923] wistfully asked, 'Will eating chestnuts by crackling log fires become one of the lost arts preserved by a devoted people only in poetry and romance?” quote by Susan Freinkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9a1/susan-freinkel-56102_art_an-editorial-in-the-los-angeles-times-19_3053011.jpg)
