Quotes About Materialism

We may spend our lives chasing after wealth, status, influence, and sensual pleasures, thinking they will improve the quality of our life. And yet we end up not having any time left to live.

Desear una cosa tras otra para sentirnos bien es la enfermedad colectiva de los seres humanos de nuestra época. Y

But the bitter thing is, that when I was rich I didn't need what I could have, and now I be poor I can't have what I need!

Po tuo išoriniu kevalu - ? j? pašalinis žmogus tik prab?gomis žvilgtert? kaip ? nereikšming?, tiesiog negyv? daikt? - sl?p?si pilna gyvyb?s siela, kuri, dar jauna b?dama, skaudžiai patyr?, kokia menka yra materialini? g?rybi? vert?, kokie žiaur?s žmogaus geiduliai ir kokia nepastovi meil?.

We don't begin to covet with imagined things. Coveting is a very literal sin–we begin to covet with tangibles, we begin with what we see every day.

No empezamos a codiciar cosas imaginarias. La codicia es un pecado muy real: se empieza a codiciar cosas tangibles, se empieza con lo que se ve todos los días...

The advertising industry and Hollywood have done a wonderful job conditioning us to believe that wealth and hyperconsumption go hand in hand.

It is easier to purchase products that denote superiority than to actually be superior in economic achievement.

It is unfortunate that some people judge others by their choice in foods, beverages, suits, watches, motor vehicles, and such. To them, superior people have excellent tastes in consumer goods. But it is easier to purchase products that denote superiority than to be actually superior in economic achievement. Allocating time and money in the pursuit of looking superior often has a predictable outcome: inferior economic achievement.

Unfortunately, most Americans think that they are emulating the rich by immediately consuming any upward swing in their cash flow.

Fawn, build your self-esteem, your pride, your independence, with what you know, not with what you own. Avoid debt.

We looked at each other; one said: "These people are not into status; they buy automobiles by the pound!

Then I just asked myself a simple question: Is the "pride of new car ownership"—and that's all it is, pride—worth $20,000? The cars are the same. The answer is no. The "pride of new car ownership" is not worth $20,000.

Many people who live in expensive homes and drive luxury cars do not actually have much wealth. Then, we discovered something even odder: Many people who have a great deal of wealth do not even live in upscale neighborhoods. That

It turns out that those with the most money, those who are in a position to buy their happiness, don't. And they don't buy expensive wine either.

In trying to act rich by imitating big-spending rich people, who is Rodney really impressing? Certainly it is not the rich! In reality, he impresses only himself and some of his friends who enjoy impersonating the glitteringly rich.

Can anything worse happen to those who are trying to look rich when they learn the truth? They buy expensive, so-called high-status beverages because they need to tell people they are superior. They want so badly to do what the glittering rich do with their money. But then their trash collector's revelation dampens their enthusiasm

There is no significant correlation between the make [brand] of motor vehicle you drive and your level of happiness with life.

It is unfortunate that some people judge others by their choice in foods, beverages, suits, watches, motor vehicles, and such. To them, superior people have excellent tastes in consumer goods. But it is easier to purchase products that denote superiority than to be actually superior in economic achievement.

There are two types of people who drive prestige makes of motor vehicles: those who are rich and those who act rich.

This millionaire's brand of watch is a Timex; her husband's is a Seiko (number one among millionaires). The couple buys their clothes at Dillard's, J.C. Penney, and TJ Maxx. They have purchased only two motor vehicles in the past 10 years: both Fords.

Is the "pride of new car ownership"—and that's all it is, pride—worth $20,000?

Why are so few people in America affluent? Even most households with six-figure annual incomes are not affluent. These people have a different orientation than does Johnny Lucas. They believe in spending tomorrow's cash today. They are debt-prone and are on earn-and-consume treadmills. To many of them, those who do not display abundant material possessions are not successful. To them, nondisplay-oriented people like Johnny Lucas are their inferiors. Johnny

It is my belief that the number of households in America that are interested in looking wealthy is far greater than the number that are interested in being wealthy. p122