--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in a society which on the one…" description: "\"We live in a society which on the one hand pressurizes us into the pursuit of instant gratification, and the other hand imposes on whole sectors of the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/terry-eagleton-1660_endless_we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-ha_2315537.png" --- # We live in a society which on the one hand pressurizes us… ![“We live in a society which on the one hand pressurizes us into the pursuit of instant gratification, and the other hand imposes on whole sectors of the population and endless deferment of fulfillment.” quote by Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/terry-eagleton-1660_endless_we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-ha_2315537.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/terry-eagleton-1660_endless_we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-ha_2315537.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/terry-eagleton-1660_endless_we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-ha_2315537.png) > “We live in a society which on the one hand pressurizes us into the pursuit of instant gratification, and the other hand imposes on whole sectors of the population and endless deferment of fulfillment.” [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society pushes people toward immediate pleasure while simultaneously delaying fulfillment for many, creating tension between instant gratification and long‑term satisfaction. **In simple terms:** Society forces instant pleasure and delayed fulfillment. Key Takeaway Seek balance between short‑term pleasure and long‑term goals. Themes consumerism psychology social pressure gratification Mood critical analytical Type social psychological When to use this quote - marketing strategies - personal goal setting - policy design - education curricula Key Concepts instant desire deferred satisfaction cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - What habits can reduce reliance on immediate rewards? - How does delayed fulfillment affect mental health? A Different Perspective Instant gratification can undermine patience and planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fulfillment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfillment/) [Gratification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratification/) [Instant gratification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant-gratification/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) ## Related quotes > [“The problem of society today: An absolute lifestyle of entitlement. People gauge everything by "feeling", meaning whatever they feel like doing or whatever they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/the-problem-of-society-today-an-absolute-lifestyle-of-entitlement/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [“In our quest for entertainment and instant gratification, we have become detached from the real world and its problems, contributing to the erosion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/in-our-quest-for-entertainment-and-instant-gratification-we-have/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [We want instant gratification,but God does not work that way, we got to wait & be patient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pastor-darryl-l-godlock/we-want-instant-gratification-but-god-does-not-work-that-way-we-got/) Pastor Darryl L Godlock > [I hadn't had that much time practicing behind the drum kit. I've spent an inordinate amount of time listening to and programming drum parts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rjd2/i-hadn-t-had-that-much-time-practicing-behind-the-drum-kit-i-ve-spent/) [RJD2](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rjd2/) > [I do music because I can just pick up my guitar and sing, and completely satisfy, instant gratification. I don't need a script, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-renner/i-do-music-because-i-can-just-pick-up-my-guitar-and-sing-and/) [Jeremy Renner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-renner/) > [Everyone wants instant gratification: you have to have everything your parents had right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-flaherty/everyone-wants-instant-gratification-you-have-to-have-everything-your/) [Jim Flaherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-flaherty/) > [The things that give instant gratification like social media, or expensive cars, or splurging on gadgets yet no life, or retail therapy, binge drinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumika-chawla/the-things-that-give-instant-gratification-like-social-media-or/) [Bhumika Chawla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumika-chawla/) > [“Our challenge is making a long-term investment in our children in an instant-gratification society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-agon/our-challenge-is-making-a-long-term-investment-in-our-children-in-an/) [Ted Agon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-agon/) > [“There’s gratification in abstaining from the easy choice. Instant gratification can bring more suffering than pleasure. If I do the hard thing, the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-wang/there-s-gratification-in-abstaining-from-the-easy-choice-instant/) Cecily Wang > [In a world where people are hungry for quick fixes and sound bites, for instant gratification, there's no patience for the long, slow rebuilding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/in-a-world-where-people-are-hungry-for-quick-fixes-and-sound-bites/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [We delude ourselves if we believe that skilled behavior is easy, that it can come about without effort. We forget the years of tuning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-a-norman/we-delude-ourselves-if-we-believe-that-skilled-behavior-is-easy-that/) [Donald A. Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-a-norman/) > [We must accept all of Gods will for us, not just those portions that happen to appeal and bring instant gratification and pleasure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-parsley/we-must-accept-all-of-gods-will-for-us-not-just-those-portions-that/) [Rod Parsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-parsley/) > [I like the challenge and instant gratification of landing a new jump or learning a new element. That made me fall in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-chen/i-like-the-challenge-and-instant-gratification-of-landing-a-new-jump/) [Nathan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-chen/) > [“When we allow ourselves to show some patience and take time to listen to the others, we may learn a lot about ourselves. Patience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-we-allow-ourselves-to-show-some-patience-and-take-time-to-listen/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [We live in a world of instant gratification, the world of the quick fix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-taylor/we-live-in-a-world-of-instant-gratification-the-world-of-the-quick-fix/) [Rachael Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-taylor/) ## More by Terry Eagleton > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The study of history and philosophy, accompanied by some acquaintance with art and literature, should be for lawyers and engineers as well as for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-study-of-history-and-philosophy-accompanied-by-some-acquaintance/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [To claim that science and religion pose different questions to the world is not to suggest that if the bones of Jesus were discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/to-claim-that-science-and-religion-pose-different-questions-to-the/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“Evil may be 'unscientific' but so is a song or a smile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/evil-may-be-unscientific-but-so-is-a-song-or-a-smile/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Virtue is something you have to get good at, like playing the trombone or tolerating bores at parties. Being a virtuous human being takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/virtue-is-something-you-have-to-get-good-at-like-playing-the-trombone/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [All propaganda or popularization involves a putting of the complex into the simple, but such a move is instantly not constructive. For if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/all-propaganda-or-popularization-involves-a-putting-of-the-complex/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [God chose what is weakest in the world to shame the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/god-chose-what-is-weakest-in-the-world-to-shame-the-strong/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Reading is not a straightforward linear movement, a merely cumulative affair: our initial speculations generate a frame of reference within which to interpret what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/reading-is-not-a-straightforward-linear-movement-a-merely-cumulative/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“What it means to be a ‘better person’, then, must be concrete and practical — that is to say, concerned with people’s political situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-it-means-to-be-a-better-person-then-must-be-concrete-and/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“What we consume now is not objects or events, but our experience of them. Just as we never need to leave our cars, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-we-consume-now-is-not-objects-or-events-but-our-experience-of/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“The theatre can teach us some truth, but it is the truth of the illusory nature of our existence. It can alert us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-theatre-can-teach-us-some-truth-but-it-is-the-truth-of-the/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“What we have witnessed in our own time is the death of universities as centres of critique. Since Margaret Thatcher, the role of academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/what-we-have-witnessed-in-our-own-time-is-the-death-of-universities/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [In the deep night of metaphysics, all cats look black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/in-the-deep-night-of-metaphysics-all-cats-look-black/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [We face a conflict between civilisation and culture, which used to be on the same side. Civilisation means rational reflection, material wellbeing, individual autonomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/we-face-a-conflict-between-civilisation-and-culture-which-used-to-be/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) [Explore all 215 Terry Eagleton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) ## More Endless quotes > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [I'm not a fan of endless mystery in storytelling - I like to know where the mythology's going; I like to get there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/i-m-not-a-fan-of-endless-mystery-in-storytelling-i-like-to-know-where/) [Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [By heaven we understand a state of happiness infinite in degree, and endless in duration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/by-heaven-we-understand-a-state-of-happiness-infinite-in-degree-and/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [The ultimate goal of radical politics is gradually to displace the limit of social exclusions, empowering the excluded agents (sexual and ethnic minorities) by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/the-ultimate-goal-of-radical-politics-is-gradually-to-displace-the/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [This is the sacrifice: the endless possibility that is offered up on the altar of the form...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/this-is-the-sacrifice-the-endless-possibility-that-is-offered-up-on/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [Like the sea itself, the unconscious yields an endless and self-replenishing abundance of creatures, a wealth beyond our fathoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/like-the-sea-itself-the-unconscious-yields-an-endless-and-self/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I'm saying that the domain of poetry includes both oral & written forms, that poetry goes back to a pre-literate situation & would survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-rothenberg/i-m-saying-that-the-domain-of-poetry-includes-both-oral-written-forms/) Jerome Rothenberg > [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [The debt immense of endless gratitude, So burthensome, still paying, still to owe; Forgetful what from him I still receivd, And understood not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/the-debt-immense-of-endless-gratitude-so-burthensome-still-paying/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/when-you-finish-a-poem-it-clicks-shut-like-the-top-of-a-jewel-box-but/) [Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/) > [We are all pilgrims on an elusive and endless road... Despite our attempts to build lives on stone foundations, our spirits continuously flow. Endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lawlor/we-are-all-pilgrims-on-an-elusive-and-endless-road-despite-our/) [Anthony Lawlor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lawlor/) Browse all 1,867 Endless quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We live in a society which on the one hand pressurizes us into the pursuit of instant gratification, and the other hand imposes on whole sectors of the population and endless deferment of fulfillment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Eagleton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-hand-pressurizes-us-into-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Endless" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-hand-pressurizes-us-into-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/terry-eagleton-1660_endless_we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-ha_2315537.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/terry-eagleton-1660_endless_we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-ha_2315537.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/terry-eagleton-1660_endless_we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-ha_2315537.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We live in a society which on the one hand pressurizes us into the pursuit of instant gratification, and the…” — Terry Eagleton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Terry Eagleton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We live in a society which...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-hand-pressurizes-us-into-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/we-live-in-a-society-which-on-the-one-hand-pressurizes-us-into-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```