Alive Quote by Wendell Berry
“For complex reasons, our culture allows "economy" to mean only "money economy." It equates success and even goodness with monetary profit because it lacks any other standard of measurement. I am no economist, but I venture to suggest that one of the laws of such an economy is that a farmer is worth more dead than alive. A second law is that anything diseased is more profitable than anything that is healthy. What is wrong with us contributes more to the "gross national product" than what is right with us.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry, 1977
Our culture equates success solely with monetary profit, ignoring other values, leading to harmful incentives like valuing dead farmers over living ones.
In simple terms: We measure success only by money, which creates harmful priorities.
Key Takeaway
Consider broader measures of societal health.
Themes
economics
ethics
environment
culture
Mood
critical
thought‑provoking
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- policy analysis
- activism
- education
- community planning
Key Concepts
Value systems
externalities
sustainability
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we integrate non‑monetary values into economic decisions?
- What alternatives exist to GDP as a success metric?
A Different Perspective
Profit focus can overlook essential human and ecological needs.
