--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People are realizing that what seemed…" description: "\"People are realizing that what seemed important to them in their lives-materialism and consumerism-doesn't work at all to make a happy heart. It actual..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c80/sylvia-boorstein-7241_consumerism_people-are-realizing-that-what-seemed-im_1572829.png" --- # People are realizing that what seemed important to them in… ![“People are realizing that what seemed important to them in their lives-materialism and consumerism-doesn't work at all to make a happy heart. It actually makes an unhappy heart. And an unhappy world.” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c80/sylvia-boorstein-7241_consumerism_people-are-realizing-that-what-seemed-im_1572829.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c80/sylvia-boorstein-7241_consumerism_people-are-realizing-that-what-seemed-im_1572829.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c80/sylvia-boorstein-7241_consumerism_people-are-realizing-that-what-seemed-im_1572829.png) > “People are realizing that what seemed important to them in their lives-materialism and consumerism-doesn't work at all to make a happy heart. It actually makes an unhappy heart. And an unhappy world.” [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Materialism and consumerism fail to bring lasting happiness; they often lead to personal and global dissatisfaction. **In simple terms:** Consumerism doesn’t bring lasting happiness. Key Takeaway Seek fulfillment beyond material possessions. Themes happiness materialism well‑being Mood somber hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - volunteering - simple living - community building Key Concepts consumer culture psychology Questions to Reflect On - What non‑material sources bring you joy? - How can you reduce consumerist impulses? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑rooted consumer habits is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consumerism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumerism/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happy heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-heart/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Materialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialism/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Do not give in too much to feelings. A overly sensitive heart is an unhappy possession on this shaky earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/do-not-give-in-too-much-to-feelings-a-overly-sensitive-heart-is-an/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I am a fool with a heart but no brains, and you are a fool with brains but no heart; and we’re both unhappy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/i-am-a-fool-with-a-heart-but-no-brains-and-you-are-a-fool-with-brains/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [If you don't know what to say to them, don't. A silent hug is worth a thousand words to an unhappy heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-don-t-know-what-to-say-to-them-don-t-a-silent-hug-is-worth-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tears are the rinse water of an unhappy heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raynor-schein/tears-are-the-rinse-water-of-an-unhappy-heart/) Raynor Schein > [A silent hug means a thousands words to the unhappy heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-silent-hug-means-a-thousands-words-to-the-unhappy-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A silent hug means a thousand words to the unhappy heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-silent-hug-means-a-thousand-words-to-the-unhappy-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It will not hurt me when I am old, A running tide where moonlight burned Will not sting me like silver snakes;The years will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/it-will-not-hurt-me-when-i-am-old-a-running-tide-where-moonlight-2/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [Listen to your heart cause when you'll go with your heart you'll be happy and heart can see the invisible.look with the heart you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nafisa-mj/listen-to-your-heart-cause-when-you-ll-go-with-your-heart-you-ll-be/) [Nafisa Mj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nafisa-mj/) > [A happy heart shines in good hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-el-b/a-happy-heart-shines-in-good-hands/) Jay-el B > [Out of the depths of my happy heart wells a great tide of love and prayer for this priceless treasure that is confided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/out-of-the-depths-of-my-happy-heart-wells-a-great-tide-of-love-and/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When I see your laughter, I know it is a window to the happy heart of the most important woman in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/when-i-see-your-laughter-i-know-it-is-a-window-to-the-happy-heart-of/) Unkown > [“It will not hurt me when I am old, A running tide where moonlight burned Will not sting me like silver snakes; The years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/it-will-not-hurt-me-when-i-am-old-a-running-tide-where-moonlight/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [A thankful heart is a happy heart. Being thankful for what I have, thats a good place to start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-thankful-heart-is-a-happy-heart-being-thankful-for-what-i-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The message from the hedge-leaves, Heed it, whoso thou art; Under lowly eaves Lives the happy heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-vance-cheney/the-message-from-the-hedge-leaves-heed-it-whoso-thou-art-under-lowly/) [John Vance Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-vance-cheney/) > [Paying your dues isn't always fun but it pays you back 100 times if you do it with a happy heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/paying-your-dues-isn-t-always-fun-but-it-pays-you-back-100-times-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Sylvia Boorstein > [“... every single act we do has the potential of causing pain, and every single thing we do has consequences that echo way beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/every-single-act-we-do-has-the-potential-of-causing-pain-and-every/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [“... although I knew what issues had been most difficult for me in my life, I may not have known the depth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/although-i-knew-what-issues-had-been-most-difficult-for-me-in-my-life/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [“I would not ask you to do this practice, to undertake this path of liberation from the habits of suffering mind, unless it were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/i-would-not-ask-you-to-do-this-practice-to-undertake-this-path-of/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [“Mindfulness meditation doesn't change life. Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever. Meditation changes the heart's capacity to accept life as it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/mindfulness-meditation-doesn-t-change-life-life-remains-as-fragile/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [If you take a deep breath and look around, 'Look what's happening to me!' can become 'Look what's happening!' And what's happening? The incredible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/if-you-take-a-deep-breath-and-look-around-look-what-s-happening-to-me/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [“... freedom of choice is possible. Life is going to unfold however it does: pleasant or unpleasant, disappointing or thrilling, expected or unexpected, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/freedom-of-choice-is-possible-life-is-going-to-unfold-however-it-does/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [The mind is like tofu. It tastes like whatever you marinate it in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/the-mind-is-like-tofu-it-tastes-like-whatever-you-marinate-it-in/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [The Buddha taught that suffering is the extra pain in the mind that happens when we feel an anguished imperative to have things be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/the-buddha-taught-that-suffering-is-the-extra-pain-in-the-mind-that/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [“I love the phrase 'I am not afraid!' Maybe it's the best phrase we can say, other than 'I have everything I need.' Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/i-love-the-phrase-i-am-not-afraid-maybe-it-s-the-best-phrase-we-can/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [My father . . . used to say, 'I need my anger. It obliges me to take action.' I think my father was partly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/my-father-used-to-say-i-need-my-anger-it-obliges-me-to-take-action-i/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [ “... life is difficult and painful, just by its very nature, not because we're doing it wrong \[pp. 17-18\].” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/life-is-difficult-and-painful-just-by-its-very-nature-not-because-we/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [“Some of my most precious moments of insight have been those in which I have seen clearly that gratitude is the only possible response."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/some-of-my-most-precious-moments-of-insight-have-been-those-in-which/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [The Buddha taught complete honesty, with the extra instruction that everything a person says should be truthful and helpful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/the-buddha-taught-complete-honesty-with-the-extra-instruction-that/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [Dedication to goodness-dedication in response to an inner moral mandate rather than external restraint-was both the antidote to the pain and the source of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/dedication-to-goodness-dedication-in-response-to-an-inner-moral/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [“Anger is often a big problem for people who grew up in families where the overt expression of anger was an everyday occurrence. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/anger-is-often-a-big-problem-for-people-who-grew-up-in-families-where/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) [Explore all 93 Sylvia Boorstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) ## More Consumerism quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [A lot of times, my work is looked at very much on the surface. It's very easy to just want to put something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/a-lot-of-times-my-work-is-looked-at-very-much-on-the-surface-it-s/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [I think that consumerism is intrinsically a pretty flawed social system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-elkington/i-think-that-consumerism-is-intrinsically-a-pretty-flawed-social/) [John Elkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-elkington/) > [America always put forth this phony melting pot theory, but it's a reality now. They couldn't accomplish the melting pot economically; they couldn't accomplish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/america-always-put-forth-this-phony-melting-pot-theory-but-it-s-a/) [Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/) > [“Fifty years ago, people went without clothes in order to eat. Today, people gladly go without food in order to buy clothes. And they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-dumontais/fifty-years-ago-people-went-without-clothes-in-order-to-eat-today/) Sinclair Dumontais > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“In my view, dissatisfaction is implicit in the fabric of consumerism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-bruno/in-my-view-dissatisfaction-is-implicit-in-the-fabric-of-consumerism/) [Dave Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-bruno/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Logograms pose a more difficult question. An increasing number of persons and institutions, from archy and mehitabel to PostScript and TrueType, come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bringhurst/logograms-pose-a-more-difficult-question-an-increasing-number-of/) [Robert Bringhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bringhurst/) > [One of the problems with industrialism is that it's based on the premise of more and more. It has to keep expanding to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dora-russell/one-of-the-problems-with-industrialism-is-that-it-s-based-on-the/) [Dora Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dora-russell/) > [Never buy what you do not want, because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/never-buy-what-you-do-not-want-because-it-is-cheap-it-will-be-dear-to/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The pharma pricing system was not built on the idea of consumer engagement. It was built... on market efficiencies. It was not built on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-bresch/the-pharma-pricing-system-was-not-built-on-the-idea-of-consumer/) [Heather Bresch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-bresch/) > [“We consumer and become exactly what we create. In all times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/we-consumer-and-become-exactly-what-we-create-in-all-times/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) [Browse all 628 Consumerism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumerism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People are realizing that what seemed important to them in their lives-materialism and consumerism-doesn't work at all to make a happy heart. It actually makes an unhappy heart. 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